Computer processes for analyzing and suggesting improvements for text readability

ABSTRACT

Computer-based processes are disclosed for analyzing and improving document readability. Document readability is improved by using rules and associated logic to automatically detect various types of writing problems and to make and/or suggest edits for eliminating such problems. Many of the rules seek to generate more concise formulations of the analyzed sentences, such as by eliminating unnecessary words, rearranging words and phrases, and making various other types of edits. Proposed edits can be conveyed, e.g., through a word processing platform, by changing the visual appearance of text to indicate how the text would appear with (or with and without) the edit.

PRIORITY INFORMATION AND CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/481,533, titled “Computer Processes For Analyzing And ImprovingDocument Readability,” filed on May 25, 2012 and issuing as U.S. Pat.No. 8,719,008 on May 6, 2014, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/853,628, titled “Computer Processes ForAnalyzing And Improving Document Readability,” filed on Sep. 11, 2007and issued on May 29, 2012 as U.S. Pat. No. 8,190,419, which claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/825,218, titled“Computer Process For Analyzing and Improving Document Readability,”filed on Sep. 11, 2006. This application is related, but does not claimpriority, to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/530,797, titled “UserFeedback Based Detection of False Positives in a Rules Based TextEditing System,” filed on Sep. 11, 2006, and to U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/438,083, titled “Method for Editing and EnhancingReadability of Authored Documents,” filed on May 13, 2003, and publishedas U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2003/0212,541 on Nov. 13, 2003. Theentire disclosures of the aforesaid applications are hereby incorporatedby reference herein, and each is made part of the specification hereof.This application is also related to U.S. patent application Ser. Nos.11/853,561, 11/853,516, 11/853,648, and 11/853,551, each filed on Sep.11, 2007.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

Technology disclosed herein relates generally to computer-aided writingcomposition and to automated computer systems and methods for makingwritten text more concise.

2. Description of Related Art

Writers face problems arising from various combinations of unnecessarywords, passive voice, weak verbs, and convoluted construction. Foryears, writing texts and teachers have addressed these problems usingtechnical terms—participle, idiom, subjunctive, relative pronoun—orgenerally advised writers to add vigor to their sentences by writing inthe active voice. Although it is possible to become a good writer givenenough practice and study, there is a continued need for improved,automated systems that provide the writer an editing method that isquick, precise, repeatable, and productive.

Commercially-available software tools exist for analyzing authoreddocuments to search for common writing problems such as passive voiceand useless phrases. These tools are currently very limited. Forexample, upon detecting a potential writing problem, existing toolscommonly provide the user only with general guidance, not specificedits. Where they suggest specific edits, the suggestions are ofteninaccurate or undesirable. Other drawbacks of existing automated grammarcheckers are further detailed in U.S. Patent Publication No. US2003/0212541, published on Nov. 13, 2003. As a result of thesedrawbacks, these tools have proved too cumbersome and frustrating togain widespread acceptance among authors.

There is, therefore, a need for improved and/or automated systems andmethods for writing concisely (or making text more concise), whichsystematically identifies and removes useless words, passive voice,nominalizations, and other writing problems, or helps the author to doso.

SUMMARY

A text analysis system is disclosed that uses a database of rules toanalyze authored documents and to make editing suggestions (or in someembodiments to automatically make edits) for improving the readabilityof such documents. The system preferably includes a user interface thatenables a user to accept or reject each editing suggestion.

Also disclosed are a number of rules that can be applied by the systemto analyze sentences and identify potential edits. These rules can beapplied in conjunction with each other (e.g., in series, in parallel, orin some combination) to a given text. Applicant(s) reserve the right toclaim each such rule independently of the others, and to claim and anyall combinations of the disclosed rules.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates the components of a text analysis system.

FIG. 2 (shown in two parts as FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B) is a diagramillustrating an editing method performed by a computer or system such asthat illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the steps of applying an example ruleto text as part of the editing method illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate example screen displays provided by the userinterface (UI) shown in FIG. 1. (FIG. 5 is shown in two parts as FIG. 5Aand FIG. 5B).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a text analysis system 110 according to someembodiments. The system 110 includes a text analysis program 120 thatuses a database of rules 122 to analyze text (e.g., apply rules). Thetext analysis program 120 may, for example, be a component of a wordprocessing or other document authoring application, or may be a distinctapplication or web service that interoperates with (e.g., is called by)one or more document authoring applications. The rules database 122stores rules that are adapted to be applied by the text analysis program120 to an input document textual passage. Most or all of the rules canbe adapted to be applied sentence by sentence, meaning that eachsentence is analyzed independently of any preceding and followingsentences. As discussed below, the rules database 122 may also be usedto collect data regarding user acceptance rates of edits suggested byparticular rules.

Rules can include the following components, for example: (1) detectionlogic for detecting whether a particular writing “problem” exists in thesentence being analyzed, and (2) correction logic for correcting theproblem. The detection logic can include or consist of a particularsign, such as a particular word or set of words, representing a possibleoccurrence of a particular type of writing problem. In some cases, thedetection logic specifies certain conditions in which the rule shouldnot be applied even though the sign is present. A rule's correctionlogic may, for example, specify a particular deletion, addition,reordering of words, and/or some combination of the foregoing. Asdiscussed below, the correction logic is used to make editingsuggestions that can be accepted or rejected by the user. Processes thatcan be accomplished by the system 110 are illustrated in FIGS. 2-5, forexample.

Additional processes that can be implemented by the system 110 aredescribed further as “rules” below. Some or all of the rules arepreferably intended to reduce grammatically correct but unnecessarylanguage from sentences. However, the invention is not so limited. Forexample, the invention can also be used to assess the performance ofgrammar checking rules.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a method that can beimplemented by a computer system (e.g., the system illustrated in FIG.1). At the Start 212 the system can select a first text sentence orphrase to analyze 214 (e.g., by automatically analyzing characters tolocate punctuation, capitalization, spacing, indentation, or otherformatting). At shown at 216, the system can select a first sign 216 anddetermine if a first sign is present in the sentence 218. If a firstsign is present, then the system selects a first sign rule 220 for thatfirst sign. The system determines if the rule applies 222 (e.g., bydetermining if threshold parameters or indicators specified by the ruleare present in relation to the first sign). Although FIG. 2 illustratesselection of a first sentence or phrase to analyze 214 as a distinctstep, this step is optional and in some advantageous embodiments, can beentirely omitted. Thus, in some embodiments, the system can search for asign as shown at 216 without ever needing to identify sentences or othertext structure. Thus, the system can analyze most groups of wordswithout having to determine if the words form a sentence.

With continuing reference to FIG. 2, if the first rule for the firstsign does apply, then the first rule is provisionally applied 224 to thesentence (e.g., the system changes the sentence by removing and/orrearranging words), displaying to a user what the sentence would looklike (e.g., the sentence can be shown with extraneous words in adifferent color or different intensity, font, etc.). After a rule isprovisionally applied 224 to a sentence, the system prompts the user toaccept or reject the suggested change (see “Writer Approves?” 226).FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate one convenient user interface that can beemployed by the system to prompt a user to accept or reject a suggestedchange. If the user accepts or approves of the suggestion, it is appliedto the document 228; otherwise, the provisional change is removed and/orthe change is not applied to the document. Whether or not the useraccepts the suggested edit, the method can then determine if the ruleapplies again 230 to the selected sentence (e.g., by searching foradditional occurrences of the first sign or other indicatorscorresponding to the first sign rule). If so, the method iterates byapplying the rule 224 and repeating the subsequent steps as describedabove. In some embodiments, the method does not repeat the same analysisfor the first sign rule for the first sign, because it has alreadyascertained the writer's preference on that question, but it candetermine if the same rule applies to a different portion of thesentence, for example.

When the method queries whether the rule applies again 230, if theanswer is “no,” the system determines if there are more sign rules 232for that first sign (e.g., by searching a database or listing of signrules). If there are more sign rules, the system selects the next signrule 234 and determines if the rule applies, as shown at 222, iteratingthe steps described above for a second sign rule. These iterations cancontinue until there are no more sign rules for that sign, or until themethod is otherwise stopped.

When the method queries whether there are more sign rules, if the answeris “no,” the method determines if there are any more signs 236 in theselected sentence. If so, the method selects the next sign 238 anddetermines if the sign is in the sentence 218, iterating the stepsdescribed above for a second sign.

When the method queries whether there are more signs, if the answer is“no,” the method determines if there are any “no-sign” rules 240 thathave not yet been applied to the sentence. If so, then the next“no-sign” rule is selected 242, and the method determines if the ruleapplies 222. In this case, the steps used for applying sign rules can befollowed, asking for writer approval, as illustrated at steps 222through 230, iterating as needed. Although the illustrated iteration ofthe application of “no-sign” rules includes queries about further signrules and/or signs, in some embodiments, the method can skip (orotherwise expedite the processing of) these redundant questions, havingalready determined that the selected sentence has no more sign rulesand/or signs.

When the method queries whether there are more “no-sign” rules, if theanswer is “no” and it has been determined that there are no remainingsigns or sign rules for that sentence, the method queries whether thereare more sentences 244, selects the next sentence 246, and iterates byselecting the first sign 216 again and processing the second sentence inthe same way as the first sentence, following the steps and iterationsoutlined above. When there are no more sentences, the method can finish248.

This rule, and all rules and methods disclosed herein, can be appliednot only to sentences, but also to other text portions, includingparagraphs, clauses, chapters, blurbs, etc. Furthermore, the steps canbe performed in different orders. For example, a system can scan allsentences for one sign, and apply the rules for that sign to each ofthose sentences before going on to a different sign. This is analternative approach to scanning each sentence for the various signs andsign rules and then moving on to the next sentence to repeat theprocess. Similarly, the entire text can be scanned and the “no-sign”rules applied to the various sentences in the text. In some embodiments,the writer or user is not asked for approval before changes are made tothe document or sentence according to the rule. In some embodiments,each sign rule is not grouped underneath a sign, but instead the text isindependently searched according to any signs or other indicators foreach sign rule and/or “no-sign” rule. Any of the steps described abovein connection with FIG. 1 can include sub-routines and/or underlyingmethod steps. For example, application of any given rule 124 can involvemethod steps of looking up information in a computer memory, comparinginformation, altering the appearance or other properties of the text asdisplayed or communicated, etc. Some of the rules, includingsub-routines, are described further below.

As depicted in FIGS. 1 and 3-4, the text analysis program 220 caninclude a user interface (UI) that enables users to interactively acceptand reject specific edits suggested by the system. In the particularexample shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the user interface includes three textboxes. The main text box 328 shows the document, or a portion of thedocument, currently being analyzed, with the currently selected sentencehighlighted in blue (shown in the italics to account for lack of colorin patent drawings). The “before” and “after” text boxes 330, 332 showhow the text analysis program suggests modifying the currently selectedsentence. Any words or phrases to be deleted are shown in red in the“before” box 330 (shown in strikethrough in the drawings). Any words orphrases to be added are shown in green in the “after” box 332 (shownunderlined in the drawings).

The user can accept or reject each suggested edit using the “accept” and“reject” buttons. Selecting “accept” causes the suggested edit to bemade in the input text, and selecting “reject” causes the suggestion tobe ignored. Whenever a user selects either “accept” or “reject,” thesystem records the user's selection together with, or in associationwith, event metadata. The event metadata preferably include anidentifier of the rule, and at least some of the words in the vicinityof the associated sign or signs. In some embodiments, the identity ofthe user is also logged or taken into consideration, as discussed below.The accept and reject actions of users are a form of implicit feedbackthat is highly relevant to whether particular editing suggestionsrepresent false positives.

The interface shown in the drawings is just one example of an interfacethat can be used for accepting and rejecting suggested edits, and theinvention is not limited to any particular interface. For example, theinterface may alternatively enable the user to view and select frommultiple alternative rewrites (revised versions) of the selectedsentence, with each such rewrite corresponding to a respective rule. Insuch embodiments, the selection of a particular rewrite may be treatedas an acceptance of the corresponding rule's suggestion and a rejectionof the other rule's suggestions. Further, a voice interface may beprovided for accepting and rejecting the suggested edits.

The system 110 can analyze text according to rules, each one of whichcan comprise an independent algorithm for improving the readability oftext. The system can perform steps of a method as shown in FIG. 2,determining whether a rule applies 222 and applying the rule 224.Alternatively, a system can determine whether a rule applies and applythe rule without performing the other steps outlined in FIG. 2. Variousrules are described further below, each one of which may be the subjectof a separate patentable claim. A computer system such as thatillustrated in FIG. 1 can implement rules independently, or be used by auser to perform the steps of the rules and methods described below.

I. Passive Voice

A rule for recognizing and improving problems of passive voice in a textcan comprise sub-rules such as the following:

A. “to be” verb-“required to” (True Positive);

B. “to be” verb-“involved” (False Positive);

C. “to be” verb-infinitive (False Positive);

D. “to be”—past participle-“by”

E. “to be” verb-past participle “by” “time noun” (False Positive);

F. Determining the object noun unit preceding the “to be” verb;

G. Object “to be” verb, past participle “by” actor;

H. “to be” verb-past participle-“by”—“transport noun” (False Positive);

I. “to be” verb-past participle-“and” or “or”—past participle

J. object-“to be” verb-past participle-no “by”

K. “to be” verb-“being”—past participle

These rules are described in more detail below.

A. “to be” Verb-“Required to” (True Positive)

The “to be” verb “required to” rule identifies words that are extraneousand can be appropriately removed. Thus, this rule is a “True Positive”rule. FIG. 5 illustrates a logical flow that can be implemented by acomputer to accomplish this rule. The method as illustrated can fit intothe flow illustrated in FIG. 1, as indicated by the reference numerals112, 114, 122, and 124, which correspond to those same referencenumerals used in FIG. 1.

The system can first determine that a “to be” verb is present 518. Then,the “to be” verb-“required to” rule can be selected 520. To implement“to be” verb-“required to” rule, the system queries: “is the ‘to be’verb followed immediately by ‘required’?” 521. If not, the rule does notapply 523 (the fact that a “no” answer to this question is associatedwith the rule not applying makes it a “True Positive” rule. If the “tobe” verb is followed immediately by “required,” then the systemdetermines if the word “to” is found within the next two words after“required” 522. If not, the rule does not apply 523. If so, then thesystem deletes the “to be” verb, “required” and “to,” but does notdelete any adverbs 524. The system then replaces “required” with “must”at the same position as “required” 525.

The “to be” verb “required to” rule can be applied to sample sentencesas illustrated in Example 1 below.

Example 1

-   -   The Big Stone II partners will argue that the Minnesota PUC will        be required to give full faith and credit to an order of the        South Dakota PUC finding if the State of Minnesota has notice of        and an opportunity to participate in the South Dakota        proceeding.    -   . . . will someday be required to . . .    -   . . . will be required someday to . . .    -   The Big Stone II partners will argue that the Minnesota PUC will        be required to give full faith and credit to an order of the        South Dakota PUC finding if the State of Minnesota has notice of        and an opportunity to participate in the South Dakota        proceeding.    -   . . . will someday be required to . . .    -   . . . will be required someday to . . .    -   The Big Stone II partners will argue that the Minnesota PUC will        be required to give full faith and credit to an order of the        South Dakota PUC finding if the State of Minnesota has notice of        and an opportunity to participate in the South Dakota        proceeding.    -   . . . will someday be required to . . .    -   . . . will be required someday to . . .    -   The Big Stone II partners will argue that the Minnesota PUC will        be required to give full faith and credit to an order of the        South Dakota PUC finding if the State of Minnesota has notice of        and an opportunity to participate in the South Dakota        proceeding.    -   . . . will someday be required to . . .    -   . . . will be required someday to . . . .    -   The Big Stone II partners will argue that the Minnesota PUC        required to give full faith and credit to an order of the South        Dakota PUC finding if the State of Minnesota has notice of and        an opportunity to participate in the South Dakota proceeding.    -   . . . someday required to . . .    -   . . . required someday to . . .    -   The Big Stone II partners will argue that the Minnesota PUC to        give full faith and credit to an order of the South Dakota PUC        finding if the State of Minnesota has notice of and an        opportunity to participate in the South Dakota proceeding.    -   . . . someday to . . . .    -   . . . someday to . . . .    -   The Big Stone II partners will argue that the Minnesota PUC must        give full faith and credit to an order of the South Dakota PUC        finding if the State of Minnesota has notice of and an        opportunity to participate in the South Dakota proceeding.”    -   . . . someday must . . .    -   . . . must someday . . .

B. “to be” Verb-“Involved” (False Positive)

The “to be” verb “involved” rule identifies words that are notextraneous and thus cannot be appropriately removed. It identifiesconstructions that are not improper passive voice. Thus, this rule is a“False Positive” rule.

To implement this rule, the system searches for a “to be” verb. Thesystem then determines if the “to be” verb is followed by the word“involved,” the word “dedicated,” or the word “engaged.” If the “to be”verb is followed by the word “involved,” the word “dedicated,” or theword “engaged,” then the system will ignore the “to be” verb. (Note thatthe words “involved,” “dedicated,” and “engaged” are included in thislist, but that the list can include additional words that play the samerole as a false positive. Indeed, other idiomatic usages that have nostylistically preferable alternative can also be included in this step.)An example of how the “to be” verb “involved” rule can be implemented isillustrated in Example 2 below.

Because the first portion of the “to be” verb “involved” rule isidentical to the first portion of the “to be” verb “required to” rule,the two rules can be implemented automatically in series one afteranother. For example, if a “to be” verb has already been identified, but“required to” is not present, the method can subsequently search for theterms “involved,” “dedicated,” etc. as described in this rule.

Example 2

-   -   The evidence also proves that Google is involved in speech and        natural language technologies.    -   Dr. Lee was deeply involved in all aspects of Microsoft's China        operations and business strategies, including its R&D        facilities.    -   On Jun. 26, 2004, a bus being leased by Transportes from ABC was        involved in an accident in Phoenix, Ariz.    -   It is rather for us to be dedicated to the great task remaining        before us.    -   Now we are engaged in a great Civil War, testing whether that        nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long        endure.    -   Not only is the village process working there, but the national        government is very deeply engaged so even though it's a village        program, it's also a national program.

The “to be” verb “involved” rule searches for a “to be” verb:

-   -   The evidence also proves that Google is involved in speech and        natural language technologies.    -   Dr. Lee was deeply involved in all aspects of Microsoft's China        operations and business strategies, including its R&D        facilities.    -   On Jun. 26, 2004, a bus being leased by Transportes from ABC was        involved in an accident in Phoenix, Ariz.    -   It is rather for us to be dedicated to the great task remaining        before us.    -   Now we are engaged in a great Civil War, testing whether that        nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long        endure.    -   Not only is the village process working there, but the national        government is very deeply engaged so even though it's a village        program, it's also a national program.

The system then determines if the “to be” verb is followed by the word“involved,” the word “dedicated,” or the word “engaged”:

-   -   The evidence also proves that Google is involved in speech and        natural language technologies.    -   Dr. Lee was deeply involved in all aspects of Microsoft's China        operations and business strategies, including its R&D        facilities.    -   On Jun. 26, 2004, a bus being leased by Transportes from ABC was        involved in an accident in Phoenix, Ariz.    -   It is rather for us to be dedicated to the great task remaining        before us.    -   Now we are engaged in a great Civil War, testing whether that        nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long        endure.    -   Not only is the village process working there, but the national        government is very deeply engaged so even though it's a village        program, it's also a national program.

Where the “to be” verb is followed by one of these three words, thesystem has identified a place where passive voice has not been usedincorrectly. Thus, these are “False Positives.” If the “to be” verb isfollowed by the word “involved,” the word “dedicated,” or the word“engaged,” then the system will ignore the “to be” verb. If the “to be”verb is removed and treated as a “True Positive,” the sentences nolonger make sense:

-   -   The evidence also proves that Google involved in speech and        natural language technologies.    -   Dr. Lee deeply involved in all aspects of Microsoft's China        operations and business strategies, including its R&D        facilities.    -   On Jun. 26, 2004, a bus being leased by Transportes from ABC        involved in an accident in Phoenix, Ariz.    -   It rather for us to be dedicated to the great task remaining        before us.    -   Now we engaged in a great Civil War, testing whether that        nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long        endure.    -   Not only is the village process working there, but the national        government very deeply engaged so even though it's a village        program, it's also a national program.

C. “to be” Verb=Infinitive

In some embodiments, the system searches for a “to be” verb. If the “tobe” verb is the phrase “to be,” then the system moves to the “tobe”-past participle-“by” rule below. If, however, the “to be” verb isnot the specific phrase “to be,” then the system determines if the “tobe” verb is followed soon thereafter by the word “involved.” If it isnot, the system then determines if the “to be” verb is followed by aninfinitive. If it is, then the system ignores the “to be” verb. As withother rules that search for a “to be” verb as a first step, this rulecan be iterated in a series with those rules, so that the first step ofsearching for a “to be” verb is not performed redundantly. The “to be”verb=infinitive rule is illustrated in Example 3 below.

Example 3

-   -   The smart move, the seaman's move, would have been to allow them        to run for their lives.    -   The Hull's job was to screen for enemy submarines, as Halsley's        fighting task forces rendezvoused and refueled, mid-ocean, from        the bunkers of the lumbering oiler groups.    -   Although he was never to speak of it for the rest of his life,        this could well have been the moment Admiral Housey determined        his need for legal counsel.    -   Nimitz was not about to repeat the error.

The method searches for a “to be” verb:

-   -   The smart move, the seaman's move, would have been to allow them        to run for their lives.    -   The Hull's job was to screen for enemy submarines, as Halsley's        fighting task forces rendezvoused and refueled, mid-ocean, from        the bunkers of the lumbering oiler groups.    -   Although he was never to speak of it for the rest of his life,        this could well have been the moment Admiral Housey determined        his need for legal counsel.    -   Nimitz was not about to repeat the error.

The system determines if the “to be” verb is followed by an infinitive:

-   -   The smart move, the seaman's move, would have been to allow them        to run for their lives.    -   The Hull's job was to screen for enemy submarines, as Halsley's        fighting task forces rendezvoused and refueled, mid-ocean, from        the bunkers of the lumbering oiler groups.    -   Although he was never to speak of it for the rest of his life,        this could well have been the moment Admiral Housey determined        his need for legal counsel.    -   Nimitz was not about to repeat the error.

If it is, then the system ignores the “to be” verb:

-   -   The smart move, the seaman's move, would have been to allow them        to run for their lives.    -   The Hull's job was to screen for enemy submarines, as Halsley's        fighting task forces rendezvoused and refueled, mid-ocean, from        the bunkers of the lumbering oiler groups.    -   Although he was never to speak of it for the rest of his life,        this could well have been the moment Admiral Housey determined        his need for legal counsel.    -   Nimitz was not about to repeat the error.

D. “to be”-Past Participle-“by”

An exception to the “to be” verb-infinitive rule described above arisesif the “to be” verb is the actual infinitive “to be.” Thus, in someembodiments, the system searches for a “to be” verb and determines ifthe “to be” verb is the actual phrase “to be.” If the “to be” verb isthe phrase “to be,” then the system determines if the phrase “to be” isfollowed by a past participle followed by the word “by.” If the “to be”verb is followed by a past participle followed by the word “by,” thenthe system deletes the “be” from the “to be” verb, and the word “by”(but does not delete the helping verb). The system also deletes theletter “d” or the letters “ed” from the past participle. The systemmoves the object of the preposition “by” to a position immediatelybefore the past participle and its helping verb. The system also movesthe preceding object noun unit to follow immediately after the pastparticiple. The system matches the number of “to be” verb to the actor.The “to be”-past participle-“by” rule is illustrated in Example 4 below.

Example 4

-   -   This is essential if a program is to be upgraded on a regular        basis by different programmers.

The system searches for a “to be” verb and determines if the “to be”verb is the actual phrase “to be”:

-   -   This is essential if a program is to be upgraded on a regular        basis by different programmers.

If the “to be” verb is the phrase “to be,” then the system determines ifthe phrase “to be” is followed by a past participle followed by the word“by”:

-   -   This is essential if a program is to be upgraded on a regular        basis by different programmers.

If the “to be” verb is followed by a past participle followed by theword “by,” then the system deletes the “be” from the “to be” verb, andthe word “by” (but does not delete the helping verb). The system alsodeletes the letter “d” or the letters “ed” from the past participle:

-   -   This is essential if a program is to upgrade on a regular basis        different programmers.

The system moves the object of the preposition “by” to a positionimmediately before the past participle and its helping verb. The systemalso moves the preceding object noun unit to follow immediately afterthe past participle:

-   -   This is essential if different programmers is to upgrade a        program on a regular basis.

The system matches the number of “to be” verb to the actor:

-   -   This is essential if different programmers are to upgrade a        program on a regular basis.

E. “to be” Verb, Past Participle “by,” “Time Noun”

In some embodiments, the system searches for a “to be” verb. Then thesystem determines if the “to be” verb is followed by an infinitive. Ifit is not, the system determines if the “to be” verb is followed by apast participle. If it is, the system determines if the past participleis followed by the word “by.” If the past participle is followed by theword “by,” then the system determines if the object of “by” is a nounexpressing “time” from the “time noun” pool and their plurals (see Table1 below for examples). If the object of “by” is followed by a nounexpressing time from the time noun pool, then the system determines ifthe particular “time noun” is followed by the word “of.” If it is not,then the system proceeds as though it is another preposition (see, e.g.,section H, Example 8 below). If the “time noun” is followed by the word“of,” then the system proceeds as though the phrase is a preposition“by” following a “to be” verb (see section G, Example 7 below). If the“time noun” is not followed by “of,” the system determines whether theobject of “by” is followed by “of” If it is, the system asks “Is theobject of ‘of’ a ‘time noun’”? If it is, the system then proceeds asthough it is another preposition. In some embodiments, a time noun poolcan comprise the following words and/or words similar thereto, as wellsas their plurals:

TABLE 1 Example Time Noun Pool Monday one January minute Tuesday twoFebruary moment Wednesday three March afternoon Thursday four Aprilmorning Friday five May night Saturday six June nighttime Sunday sevenJuly tomorrow yesterday eight August next week tomorrow nine Septemberday week ten October daytime year eleven November hour decade twelveDecember second century season year date millennium age era epoch eonperiod instant cycle quarter semester trimester fortnight

The “to be” verb, past participle “by,” “time noun” rule is illustratedin Example 5 below:

Example 5

It has to be picked up by tomorrow afternoon.

The corn has been parched by days of hot weather.

Our inventory will be counted by the end of the year.

All wounds can be healed by time.

You can be moved to action by an idea.

In some embodiments, the system searches for a “to be” verb.

It has to be picked up by tomorrow afternoon.

The corn has been parched by days of hot weather.

Our inventory will be counted by the end of the year.

All wounds can be healed by time.

You can be moved to action by an idea.

Then the system determines if the “to be” verb is followed by aninfinitive. If it is not, the system determines if the “to be” verb isfollowed by a past participle.

It has to be picked up by tomorrow afternoon.

The corn has been parched by days of hot weather.

Our inventory will be counted by the end of the year.

All wounds can be healed by time.

You can be moved to action by an idea.

If it is, the system determines if the past participle is followed bythe word “by.”

It has to be picked up by tomorrow afternoon.

The corn has been parched by days of hot weather.

Our inventory will be counted by the end of the year.

All wounds can be healed by time.

You can be moved to action by an idea.

If the past participle is followed by the word “by,” then the systemdetermines if the object of “by” is a noun expressing “time” from thetime noun pool and their plurals.

It has to be picked up by tomorrow afternoon.

The corn has been parched by days of hot weather.

Our inventory will be counted by the end of the year.

All wounds can be healed by time.

You can be moved to action by an idea.

If the object of “by” is followed by a noun expressing time from the“time noun” pool, then the system determines if the particular “timenoun” is followed by the word “of.”

It has to be picked up by tomorrow afternoon.

The corn has been parched by days of hot weather.

Our inventory will be counted by the end of the year.

All wounds can be healed by time.

You can be moved to action by an idea.

If it is not, then the system can proceed to other sub-routines,examining the text under other sub-rules that assume there is no “by.”(See, e.g., the subrule discussed below in section J: object-“to be”verb-past participle-no “by”). If the “time noun” is followed by theword “of,” then the system can proceed to other sub-routines, as thoughthe phrase is the preposition “by” following a “to be” verb (see, e.g.,the subrule discussed below in section G).

It has to be picked up by tomorrow afternoon.

The corn has been parched by days of hot weather.

Our inventory will be counted by the end of the year.

All wounds can be healed by time.

You can be moved to action by an idea.

The corn has been parched by days of hot weather.

Our inventory will be counted by the end of the year.

All wounds can be healed by time.

You can be moved to action by an idea.

If the “time noun” is not followed by “of,” the system determineswhether the object of “by” is followed by “of” If it is, the systemdetermines if the object of “of” is a “time noun”? If it is, the systemthen proceeds as though it is another preposition.

Our inventory will be counted by the end of the year.

All wounds can be healed by time.

You can be moved to action by an idea.

Our inventory will be counted by the end of the year.

All wounds can be healed by time.

You can be moved to action by an idea.

F. Determining the “Object” Noun Unit Preceding the “to be” Verb

In the example sequence described here, an “object” noun unit can beidentified after the sub-rule described in the section immediately above(“to be” verb, past participle “by,” “time noun”). However, theidentification of an “object” noun unit also applies to other situationsand can occur with other rules and in other sequences. Indeed, asdescribed below, each rule, sub-rule, sequence, and sub-sequencedescribed herein can be considered a distinct and separately novelinvention in its own right. The method described here for determiningthe “object” noun unit can apply to any situation where “by” follows apast participle and an exception or false positive is not identified,not just those where a “time noun” is followed by “of” not followed by a“time noun.” Thus, even though this rule is described in this context,this rule can be appropriately applied anytime a “to be” verb isfollowed by a past participle followed by “by.”

In some embodiments, after completing the “to be” verb, past participle“by,” “time noun” rule, the system then determines if the object of “of”is a “time noun.” If the object of the word “of” is not a “time noun,”then the system proceeds to the “object” noun unit. More generallystated, after completing all “to be” verb rules and determining thepresence of passive voice, the system searches all noun units precedingthe “to be” verb for an object. To determine the object, the system asks“Does ‘that,’ ‘who,’ ‘if,’ ‘when,’ ‘where,’ ‘whether,’ ‘as,’ ‘which,’‘while,’ ‘after,’ ‘before,’ or ‘, and’ precede the ‘to be’ verb?” If onedoes, the system ignores the noun units preceding the closest of thosewords. The system then determines whether more than one noun unit stillprecedes the “to be” verb. If more than one noun unit does precede the“to be” verb, then the system asks “Is a preceding noun: the object of apreposition, or part of a clause set off by commas, or preceding another‘to be’ verb followed by a past participle?” If the answer to thatquestion is yes, then the system ignores the identified noun units. Ifthe answer is no, the system then asks “Is the core ‘to be’ verb ‘am’ or‘is’ or ‘was’?” If the answer to that question is yes, then the systemignores all of the preceding plural noun units. If the answer is no, thesystem ignores all preceding singular noun units. The system thenqueries: “Does more than one noun unit still remain?” The system thendetermines whether the answer to that question is yes. If the answer isyes, the system asks “Does ‘and’ appear between two noun units or in aseries of noun units?” If the answer to that question is yes, the systemwill select both or all. If the answer is no, the system will highlightthe remaining noun units and will form a question by placing the words“who” or “what” before the “to be” verb and past participle. Forexample, the phrase “Who or what was rocked?” Or “Who” or “what” arerequired?” At this point, the system prompts the user to select thecorrect object from the question presented to the user. Determining the“object” noun unit preceding the “to be” verb rule is illustrated inExample 6 below.

Example 6

-   -   The evidence demonstrates that Dr. Lee's group at Microsoft        developed technologies that would be used by Microsoft for        Chinese language search.    -   It includes services delivered over the Internet, and        “accelerators” that can be used by Microsoft partners and        customers to speed their development of office-based solutions.    -   In the pilot house, beneath the starboard portal, DeRyckere        watched as Joe Jambor was knocked to his knees as the hull was        rocked by another mountainous surge.    -   The lawyer said that consideration and mutual assent, the modern        expression for a meeting of the minds, are required by the        statute.

The system can apply one or various “to be” verb rules and determine thepresence of passive voice. In the process, “to be” verbs, pastparticiples, etc. can be identified.

-   -   The evidence demonstrates that Dr. Lee's group at Microsoft        developed technologies that would be used by Microsoft for        Chinese language search.    -   It includes services delivered over the Internet, and        “accelerators” that can be used by Microsoft partners and        customers to speed their development of office-based solutions.    -   In the pilot house, beneath the starboard portal, DeRyckere        watched as Joe Jambor was knocked to his knees as the hull was        rocked by another mountainous surge.    -   The lawyer said that consideration and mutual assent, the modern        expression for a meeting of the minds, are required by the        statute.

After completing all “to be” verb rules and determining the presence ofpassive voice, the system searches all noun units preceding the “to be”verb for objects:

-   -   The evidence demonstrates that Dr. Lee's group at Microsoft        developed technologies that would be used by Microsoft for        Chinese language search.    -   It includes services delivered over the Internet, and        “accelerators” that can be used by Microsoft partners and        customers to speed their development of office-based solutions.    -   In the pilot house, beneath the starboard portal, DeRyckere        watched as Joe Jambor was knocked to his knees as the Hull was        rocked by another mountainous surge.    -   The lawyer said that consideration and mutual assent, the modern        expression for a meeting of the minds, are required by the        statute.

The system can then determine if ‘that,’ ‘who,’ ‘if,’ ‘when,’ ‘where,’‘whether,’ ‘as,’ ‘which,’ ‘while,’ ‘after,’ ‘before,’ or ‘, and’ precedethe ‘to be’ verb:

-   -   The evidence demonstrates that Dr. Lee's group at Microsoft        developed technologies that would be used by Microsoft for        Chinese language search.    -   It includes services delivered over the Internet, and        “accelerators” that can be used by Microsoft partners and        customers to speed their development of office-based solutions.    -   In the pilot house, beneath the starboard portal, DeRyckere        watched as Joe Jambor was knocked to his knees as the Hull was        rocked by another mountainous surge.    -   The lawyer said that consideration and mutual assent, the modern        expression for a meeting of the minds, are required by the        statute.

If one of these words does precede the “to be” verb, the system ignoresthe noun units preceding the closest of those words. Note that underthis analysis, in the first two examples, there is no object.

-   -   The evidence demonstrates that Dr. Lee's group at Microsoft        developed technologies that would be used by Microsoft for        Chinese language search.    -   It includes services delivered over the Internet, and        “accelerators” that can be used by Microsoft partners and        customers to speed their development of office-based solutions.    -   In the pilot house, beneath the starboard portal, DeRyckere        watched as Joe Jambor was knocked to his knees as the Hull was        rocked by another mountainous surge.    -   The lawyer said that consideration and mutual assent, the modern        expression for a meeting of the minds, are required by the        statute.

The system determines whether there is still more than one noun unitpreceding the “to be” verb (aside from those already ignored by themethod). If there is still more than one noun unit preceding the “to be”verb, the system asks: “Is a preceding noun unit: the object of apreposition, or part of a clause set off by commas, or preceding another‘to be’ verb followed by a past participle?”

-   -   In the pilot house, beneath the starboard portal, DeRyckere        watched as Joe Jambor was knocked to his knees as the Hull was        rocked by another mountainous surge.    -   The lawyer said that consideration and mutual assent, the modern        expression for a meeting of the minds, are required by the        statute.

If the answer to that question is yes, then the system ignores theidentified noun units:

-   -   In the pilot house, beneath the starboard portal, DeRyckere        watched as Joe Jambor was knocked to his knees as the Hull was        rocked by another mountainous surge.    -   The lawyer said that consideration and mutual assent, the modern        expression for a meeting of the minds, are required by the        statute.

If the answer is no, the system then asks “Is the core ‘to be’ verb‘am,’ ‘is,’ or ‘was’?” If the answer to that question is yes, then thesystem ignores all of the preceding plural noun units. If the answer isno, the system ignores all preceding singular noun units. (Although notillustrated here, in some embodiments, the core “to be” verb is ‘am,’‘is,’ or ‘was’ and the “object” noun unit cannot otherwise beidentified.) The system then queries: “Does more than one noun unitstill remain?”

-   -   In the pilot house, beneath the starboard portal, DeRyckere        watched as Joe Jambor was knocked to his knees as the Hull was        rocked by another mountainous surge.    -   The lawyer said that consideration and mutual assent, the modern        expression for a meeting of the minds, are required by the        statute.

If the answer is yes, the system asks “Does ‘and’ appear between twonoun units or in a series of noun units?”

-   -   In the pilot house, beneath the starboard portal, DeRyckere        watched as Joe Jambor was knocked to his knees as the Hull was        rocked by another mountainous surge.    -   The lawyer said that consideration and mutual assent, the modern        expression for a meeting of the minds, are required by the        statute.

If the answer to that question is yes, the system will select both orall (e.g., treating “consideration and mutual assent” as one compoundnoun unit):

-   -   In the pilot house, beneath the starboard portal, DeRyckere        watched as Joe Jambor was knocked to his knees as the Hull was        rocked by another mountainous surge.    -   The lawyer said that consideration and mutual assent, the modern        expression for a meeting of the minds, are required by the        statute.

If the answer is no, the system will highlight the remaining noun unitsand form a question by placing the words “Who or what” before the “tobe” verb and past participle. For example, the phrase “Who or what wasrocked?” Or “Who or what are required?” At this point, the systemprompts the user to select the correct object from the questionpresented to the user. Because the “object” noun units have already beenidentified here, these examples do not illustrate where this isnecessary.

G. Object “to be” Verb, Past Participle “by” Actor

In some embodiments, after completing the “to be” verb, past participle“by,” “time noun” rule, (see section E, including Example 5 above) ifthe object of the word “of” is not a “time noun,” then the system cansearch for an “object” noun unit preceding the “to be” verb. When thesystem identifies the “object” noun unit, it then deletes the “to be”verb and “by,” but does not delete the helping verb. The system thenmoves the object of the preposition “by” noun unit to a positionimmediately before the past participle and its helping verb. The systemthen moves the preceding “object” noun unit to follow immediately afterthe past participle and asks the question “Was the deleted ‘to be’ verb‘be’?” If the answer is yes, then the system removes “d” or “ed” fromthe past participle.

The system then asks “Was the preceding object noun unit ‘I,’ ‘he,’‘she,’ ‘we,’ or ‘they’?” If the answer is yes, the system converts thenoun unit to its objective form. For example, “I” becomes “me,” “he”becomes “him,” “she” becomes “her,” “we” becomes “us,” and “they”becomes “them.” The system then asks “Was the object of the preposition‘by’ noun unit ‘me,’ ‘him,’ ‘her,’ ‘us,’ or ‘them.’?” If the answer isyes, the system converts the object noun unit to its subjective form,for example, “I,” “he,” “she,” “we,” or “they.”

The system then asks “Does ‘not’ appear in the middle of the ‘to be’verb?” If it does, then the system removes “d” or “ed” from the pastparticiple. The system then asks “Was the deleted ‘to be’ verb in thepast tense?” If it was, then the system places “did” in front of “not.”If the deleted verb was not in the past tense, then the system asks “Isthe new noun unit ‘not’ the third person singular, e.g., ‘he,’ ‘she,’‘it,’ or almost anything not ending in ‘s’?” If yes, the system places“does” in front of “not.” If it does not, the system places “do” infront of “not.” The system then will recapitalize as needed. The object“to be” verb, past participle “by” actor rule is illustrated in Example7 below.

Example 7

-   -   All wounds can be healed by time.    -   You can be moved to action by an idea.    -   The evidence demonstrates that Dr. Lee's group at Microsoft        developed technologies that would be used by Microsoft for        Chinese language search.    -   A local scientist, a wonderful young Ethiopian, was selected by        the local government to head the project for us and get the        community together.    -   Secondly, I was not advised by your office until Jun. 15, 2006,        that Mr. Kelly had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer.    -   Current Windows users are not impacted by this Court ruling.

Applying the steps of the “to be” verb, past participle “by,” “timenoun” rule, (see section E, including Example 5 above), includingsearching for “to be” verbs, determining if the “to be” verbs arefollowed by infinitives or past participles, and determining if the pastparticiples are followed by the word “by”:

-   -   All wounds can be healed by time.    -   You can be moved to action by an idea.    -   The evidence demonstrates that Dr. Lee's group at Microsoft        developed technologies that would be used by Microsoft for        Chinese language search.    -   A local scientist, a wonderful young Ethiopian, was selected by        the local government to head the project for us and get the        community together.    -   Secondly, I was not advised by your office until Jun. 15, 2006,        that Mr. Kelly had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer.    -   Current Windows users are not impacted by this Court ruling.

If the past participle is followed by the word “by,” then the systemdetermines if the object of “by” is a noun expressing “time” from the“time noun” pool and their plurals.

-   -   All wounds can be healed by time.    -   You can be moved to action by an idea.    -   The evidence demonstrates that Dr. Lee's group at Microsoft        developed technologies that would be used by Microsoft for        Chinese language search.    -   A local scientist, a wonderful young Ethiopian, was selected by        the local government to head the project for us and get the        community together.    -   Secondly, I was not advised by your office until Jun. 15, 2006,        that Mr. Kelly had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer.    -   Current Windows users are not impacted by this Court ruling.

If the object of “by” is not from the “time noun” pool, or if the objectof “by” is not followed by “of,” the system searches for an object noununit preceding the “to be” verb. Alternatively stated, after completingall “to be” verb rules and determining the presence of passive voice,the system searches all noun units preceding the “to be” verb forobjects:

-   -   All wounds can be healed by time.    -   You can be moved to action by an idea.    -   The evidence demonstrates that Dr. Lee's group at Microsoft        developed technologies that would be used by Microsoft for        Chinese language search.    -   A local scientist, a wonderful young Ethiopian, was selected by        the local government to head the project for us and get the        community together.    -   Secondly, I was not advised by your office until Jun. 15, 2006,        that Mr. Kelly had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer.    -   Current Windows users are not impacted by this Court ruling.

The system deletes the “to be” verb, but not the help verb, and alsodeletes the word “by”:

-   -   All wounds can healed time.    -   You can moved to action an idea.    -   The evidence demonstrates that Dr. Lee's group at Microsoft        developed technologies that would used Microsoft for Chinese        language search.    -   A local scientist, a wonderful young Ethiopian, was selected the        local government to head the project for us and get the        community together.    -   Secondly, I not advised your office until Jun. 15, 2006, that        Mr. Kelly had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer.    -   Current Windows users not impacted this Court ruling.

The system moves the object of the preposition “by” noun units to aposition immediately before the past participle and its help verb (andnegative, if applicable):

-   -   All wounds time can healed.    -   You an idea can moved to action.    -   The evidence demonstrates that Dr. Lee's group at Microsoft        developed technologies that Microsoft would used for Chinese        language search.    -   A local scientist, a wonderful young Ethiopian, the local        government selected to head the project for us and get the        community together.    -   Secondly, I your office not advised until Jun. 15, 2006, that        Mr. Kelly had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer.    -   Current Windows users this court ruling not impacted.

The system then moves the preceding object noun unit to followimmediately after the past participle:

-   -   time can healed All wounds    -   an idea can moved You to action.    -   The evidence demonstrates that Dr. Lee's group at Microsoft        developed technologies that Microsoft would used for Chinese        language search.    -   the local government selected A local scientist, a wonderful        young Ethiopian, to head the project for us and get the        community together.    -   Secondly, your office not advised I until Jun. 15, 2006, that        Mr. Kelly had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer.    -   this court ruling not impacted Current Windows users.

The system then asks “Was the deleted ‘to be’ verb ‘be?’” If yes, thesystem removes the “-d” or “-ed” from the past participle (as with eachof the first three examples here):

-   -   time can heal All wounds    -   an idea can move You to action.    -   The evidence demonstrates that Dr. Lee's group at Microsoft        developed technologies that Microsoft would use for Chinese        language search.    -   the local government selected A local scientist, a wonderful        young Ethiopian, to head the project for us and get the        community together.    -   Secondly, your office not advised I until Jun. 15, 2006, that        Mr. Kelly had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer.    -   this court ruling not impacted Current Windows users.

The system then determines if the preceding object noun unit “I,” “he,”“she,” “we,” or “they.” If so, the system converts the noun unit to itsobject form: “me,” “him,” “her,” “us,” or “them.” (Similarly, the systemalso determines if the object of the preposition “by” noun unit was“me,” “him,” “her,” “us,” or “them”; if so, the system converts theobject noun unit into its subject form: “I,” “he,” “she,” “we,” or“they.” This is not illustrated in these examples).

-   -   Secondly, your office not advised me until Jun. 15, 2006, that        Mr. Kelly had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer.

Does “not” appear in the middle of a “to be” verb unit? If so, thesystem removes the “d” or “-ed” from the past participle:

-   -   Secondly, your office not advise me until Jun. 15, 2006, that        Mr. Kelly had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer.    -   this court ruling not impact Current Windows users.

The system then determines if the deleted “to be” verb was past tense.If so, the system places “did” in front of “not”:

-   -   Secondly, your office did not advise me until Jun. 15, 2006,        that Mr. Kelly had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer.

If the deleted “to be” verb was not past tense, on the other hand, thesystem determines if the new noun unit preceding “not” is the thirdperson singular (e.g., he, she, it, or almost anything not ending in“s.”) If so, the system places “does” in front of “not.” (If not, thesystem places “do” in front of “not.”)

-   -   this court ruling does not impact Current Windows users.

The system then fixes capitalization:

-   -   Time can heal all wounds.    -   An idea can move you to action.    -   The evidence demonstrates that Dr. Lee's group at Microsoft        developed technologies that Microsoft would use for Chinese        language search.    -   The local government selected a local scientist, a wonderful        young Ethiopian, to head the project for us and get the        community together.    -   Secondly, your office did not advise me until Jun. 15, 2006,        that Mr. Kelly had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer.    -   This court ruling does not impact current Windows users.

H. “to be” Verb-Past Participle-“by”-“Transport Noun”-FALSE POSITIVE

This rule can be implemented in connection with other rules that searchfor “to be” verbs. Thus, the “to be” verb can be considered a sign forthis rule. This rule can begin at the step numbered, “51” below, afterother rules have been considered and rejected or considered and applied.Thus, steps 1-3, and 6-13 can be pre-cursor steps to this rule, in someembodiments.

(1) system searches for “to be” verb

(2) is “to be” verb followed immediately by “required”?

(3) if yes, is “to” found in the next two words?

6. [referring to the question posed in Step 2] if no, is “to be” verbfollowed by “involved,” “engaged,” or “dedicated?”

7. if yes, system ignores

8. [referring to the question posed in Step 6], if no, is “to be” verbfollowed by infinitive?

9. if yes, system ignores

10. [referring to the question posed in Step 8] if no, is “to be” verbfollowed by past participle?

11. if yes, is past participle followed by “by”?

12. if yes, is the object of “by” a noun expressing “time” from the“time noun” pool (and their plurals): minute, moment, afternoon,morning, night, nighttime, tomorrow, next week, yesterday, day, daytime,hour, second, season, year, date, decade, age, era, epoch, eon, period,instant, cycle, quarter, semester, trimester, century (other time nounscan also be included) (The word “time” is not a “time noun.”)

13. if yes, is “time noun” followed by “of”?

51. [referring to the question posed in Step 12] if no, is the object of“by” a noun representing something that transports people or things (andtheir plurals): car, automobile, truck, van, motorcycle, plane, jet,airplane, boat, ship, scooter, wagon, covered wagon, train, bus, cart,carriage, sled, sleigh, wheelbarrow, ambulance, ski, skate, rollerskate, snowshoe, bike, bicycle, coach, chariot, cab, hansom, stagecoach,motor home, subway, trolley, horse, pony, colt)

52. if yes, does an article appear between “by” and the “transportnoun”?

53. if no, system examines under Sub Rule 9 (as though there is no “by”)

54. if yes, system examines under Sub Rule 6

In some embodiments, the system searches for a “to be” verb anddetermines if the “to be” verb is followed immediately by the word“required.” If the “to be” verb is followed immediately by the word“required,” then the system determines if the word “to” is found withinthe next two words. If, however, the “to be” verb is not immediatelyfollowed by the word “required,” then the system determines if the “tobe” verb is followed by the word “involved.” If the “to be” verb isfollowed by the word “involved,” the word “engaged,” or the word“dedicated,” then the system ignores the phrase. If, however, the “tobe” verb is not followed by the word “involved,” then the systemdetermines if the “to be” verb is followed by an infinitive. If the “tobe” verb is followed by an infinitive, then the system ignores thephrase. If, however, the “to be” verb is not followed by an infinitive,then the system determines if the “to be” verb is followed by a pastparticiple. If the “to be” verb is followed by a past participle, thenthe system determines if the past participle is followed by the word“by.” If the past participle is followed by the word “by,” then thesystem determines if the object of the word “by” is a noun expressing“time” from the “time noun” pool (and their plurals) including wordslike “minute,” “moment,” “afternoon,” “morning,” “night,” “night time,”“tomorrow,” “next week,” “yesterday,” “day,” “daytime,” “hour,”“second,” “season,” “year,” “date,” “decade,” “age,” “era,” “epic,”“eon,” “period,” “instant,” “cycle,” “quarter,” “semester,” “trimester,”and “century.” If the object of “by” is a noun expressing “time” fromthe “time noun” pool, then the system determines if the “time noun” isfollowed by the word “of” (The word “time” is not a “time noun.”)

If, however, the object of the word “by” is not a noun expressing “time”from the “time noun” pool, then the system determines if the object of“by” is a noun representing something that transports people or things(and their plurals), for example, “car,” “automobile,” “truck,” “van,”“motorcycle,” “plane,” “jet,” “airplane,” “boat,” “ship,” “skooter,”“wagon,” “covered wagon,” “train,” “bus,” “cart,” “carriage,” “sled,”“sleigh,” wheelbarrow,” “ambulance,” “ski,” “skate,” “roller-skate,”“snowshoe,” “bike,” “bicycle,” “coach,” “chariot,” “cab,” “Hanson,”“stage coach,” “motor home,” “subway,” “trolley,” “horse,” “pony,” and“colt.” If the object of “by” is a noun representing something thattransports people, then the system determines if an article appearsbetween the word “by” and the “transport noun.” If an article does notappear between the word “by” and the “transport noun,” then the systemexamines the phrase as though there is no word “by.” If, however, anarticle does appear between the word “by” and the “transport noun,” thenthe system examines the phrase under the object “to be” verb, pastparticiple, “by” actor rule. The “to be” verb-pastparticiple-“by”-“transport noun”-FALSE POSITIVE rule is illustrated inExample 8 below.

Example 8

Creole was flown back to the Hailey shelter by private jet.

The Queen was almost hit by a runaway carriage.

Creole was flown back to the Hailey shelter by private jet.

The Queen was almost hit by a runaway carriage.

Creole was flown back to the Hailey shelter by private jet.

The Queen was almost hit by a runaway carriage.

Creole was flown back to the Hailey shelter by private jet.

The Queen was almost hit by a runaway carriage.

I. “to be” Verb-Past Participle-“and” or “or”-Past Participle

This rule can be implemented in connection with other rules that searchfor “to be” verbs. Thus, the “to be” verb can be considered a sign forthis rule. This rule can begin at the step numbered, “55” below, afterother rules have been considered and rejected or considered and applied.Thus, steps 1-3, and 6-12 can be pre-cursor steps to this rule, in someembodiments.

(1) system searches for “to be” verb

(2) is “to be” verb followed immediately by “required”?

(3) if yes, is “to” found in the next two words?

6. [referring to the question posed in Step 2] if no, is “to be” verbfollowed by “involved,” “engaged,” or “dedicated?”

7. if yes, system ignores

8. [referring to the question posed in Step 6], if no, is “to be” verbfollowed by infinitive?

9. if yes, system ignores

10. [referring to the question posed in Step 8] if no, is “to be” verbfollowed by past participle?

11. if yes, is past participle followed by “by”?

12. if yes, is the object of “by” a noun expressing “time” from the“time noun” pool (and their plurals): minute, moment, afternoon,morning, night, nighttime, tomorrow, next week, yesterday, day, daytime,hour, second, season, year, date, decade, age, era, epoch, eon, period,instant, cycle, quarter, semester, trimester, century

55. is past participle followed by “and” or “or”?

56. if yes, is “and” or “or” followed by another past participle?

57. if no, system ignores

58. if yes, system treats “and” or “or” and second past participle aspart of the first participle

In some embodiments, the system searches for a “to be” verb anddetermines if the “to be” verb is followed immediately by the word“required.” If the “to be” verb is followed immediately by the word“required,” then the system determines if the word “to” is found withinthe next two words. If the “to be” verb is not followed immediately bythe word “required,” then the system determines if the “to be” verb isfollowed by the word “involved.” If the “to be” verb is followed by theword “involved,” “engaged,” or “dedicated,” then the system ignores thephrase. If, however, the “to be” verb is not followed by the word“involved,” then the system determines if the “to be” verb is followedby an infinitive. If the “to be” verb is followed by an infinitive, thenthe system ignores the phrase.

If the “to be” verb is not followed by an infinitive, then the systemdetermines if the “to be” verb is followed by a past participle. If the“to be” verb is followed by a past participle, then the systemdetermines if the past participle is followed by the word “by.” If thepast participle is followed by the word “by,” then the system determinesif the object of the word “by” is a noun expressing “time” from the“time noun” pool or a “transport noun.” If, however, the past participleis not followed by the word “by,” then the system determines if the pastparticiple is followed by the word “and” or the word “or.” If the pastparticiple is followed by the word “and” or the word “or,” then thesystem determines if either the word “and” or the word “or” is followedby another past participle. If not, then the system ignores the phrase.If, however, the word “and” or the word “or” is followed by another pastparticiple, then the system treats the word “and” or the word “or” andthe second past participle as if it were part of the first participle inthe phrase. The “to be” verb-past participle-“and” or “or”-pastparticiple rule is illustrated in Example 9 below.

Example 9

-   -   Instead, we're using SharePoint workspaces, intranet sites where        documents and other data can be centrally located and accessed.

J. Object-“to be” Verb-Past Participle-No “by”

This rule can be implemented in connection with other rules that searchfor “to be” verbs. Thus, the “to be” verb can be considered a sign forthis rule. This rule can begin at the step numbered, “59” below, afterother rules have been considered and rejected or considered and applied.Thus, other steps can be pre-cursor steps to this rule, in someembodiments, as indicated. For example, the system can delete certainwords under the “There Rule” before it applies the “Passive Rule.” (See,e.g., section V, in the “third there” rule).

59. [referring to the question posed in Step 11] if no, systemhighlights sentence

60. System asks user: “This sentence is passive; would you like to makeit active?”

61. User selects “Yes” or “No”

62. if User selects “No”, system ignores

63. if User selects “Yes”, system forms a question

64. system begins question “Who or what”

65. system follows those words with the help verbs and adverbs in “tobe” verb unit (but not “to be” verb)

66. is “to be” verb “am” “is” “are” or “be”?

67. if yes, system forms the question by converting the past participleto its present tense form

68. if no, system forms the question by converting the past participleto its past tense form

69. using the noun unit that forms the object, system finishes question

70. User answers question by typing the actor

71. system replaces “Who or what” with the typed in actor

72. system removes question mark

73. system deletes words that form passive part of sentence

74. system places new active version where system deleted passive partof sentence

75. system matches number and capitalizes

In some embodiments, the system, following pairing down of sentences andphrases using other rules disclosed herein, will search for the “to be”verb. The system will determine if the “to be” verb is followedimmediately by the word “required.” If the “to be” verb is followedimmediately by the word “required,” the system will determine if theword “to” is found within the next two words. If, however, the “to be”verb is not immediately followed by the word “required,” then the systemwill determine if the “to be” verb is followed by the word “involved.”If the “to be” verb is followed by the word “involved,” then the systemwill ignore the phrase.

If, however, the “to be” verb is not followed by the word “involved,”“engaged,” or “dedicated,” then the system will determine if the “to be”verb is followed by an infinitive. If the “to be” verb is followed by aninfinitive, then the system will ignore the phrase. If, however, the “tobe” verb is not followed by an infinitive, then the system determines ifthe “to be” verb is followed by a past participle. If the “to be” verbis followed by a past participle, then the system will determine if thepast participle is followed by the word “by.” If the past participle isfollowed by the word “by,” then the system will determine if the objectof the word “by” is a noun expressing “time” from the “time noun” pool,or a “transport noun.” If, however, the past participle is not followedby the word “by,” then the system will highlight the sentence and promptthe user: “This sentence is passive; would you like to make it active?”

The user will then select the word “Yes” or the word “No.” If the userselects the word “No,” then the system will ignore the phrase. If theuser selects the word “Yes,” then the system will form a question,beginning the question “Who or what.” The system will follow the words“Who or what” with helping verbs and adverbs in the “to be” verb unitwithout using the “to be” verb. The system determines if the “to be”verb is “am,” “is,” “are,” or “be.” If the “to be” verb is one of thoseverbs from the list, the system forms the question by converting thepast participle to its present tense form. If, however, the “to be” verbis not from the above list, then the system forms the question byconverting the past participle to its past tense form.

Using the noun unit that forms the object, the system finishes thequestion. The user answers the question by typing the appropriate actor.The system then replaces “Who or what” with the typed actor. The systemremoves the question mark, deletes words that form the passive part ofthe sentence, places a new active version where the system deleted thepassive part of the sentence, and matches the verb number andcapitalizes or recapitalizes as appropriate. The object-“to be”verb-past participle-no “by” rule is illustrated in Example 10 below.

Example 10

-   -   A distinction must also be made between conflicts and hassles.    -   He had borne the Allied cause on his shoulders during the war's        first, flickering hours, and this would not soon be forgotten.    -   That is the kind of scrutiny each gift received before it was        approved.    -   Instead, we're using SharePoint workspaces, intranet sites where        documents and other data can be centrally located and accessed.    -   There is a tremendous amount of local research that has been        done on African agriculture.    -   A distinction must also be made between conflicts and hassles.    -   He had borne the Allied cause on his shoulders during the war's        first, flickering hours, and this would not soon be forgotten.    -   That is the kind of scrutiny each gift received before it was        approved.    -   Instead, we're using SharePoint workspaces, intranet sites where        documents and other data can be centrally located and accessed.    -   There is a tremendous amount of local research that has been        done on African agriculture.    -   A distinction must also be made between conflicts and hassles.    -   He had borne the Allied cause on his shoulders during the war's        first, flickering hours, and this would not soon be forgotten.    -   That is the kind of scrutiny each gift received before it was        approved.    -   Instead, we're using SharePoint workspaces, intranet sites where        documents and other data can be centrally located and accessed.    -   a tremendous amount of local research has been done on African        agriculture.    -   A distinction must also be made between conflicts and hassles.    -   He had borne the Allied cause on his shoulders during the war's        first, flickering hours, and this would not soon be forgotten.    -   That is the kind of scrutiny each gift received before it was        approved.    -   Instead, we're using SharePoint workspaces, intranet sites where        documents and other data can be centrally located and accessed.    -   a tremendous amount of local research has been done on African        agriculture.    -   A distinction must also be made between conflicts and hassles.    -   He had borne the Allied cause on his shoulders during the war's        first, flickering hours, and this would not soon be forgotten.    -   That is the kind of scrutiny each gift received before it was        approved.    -   Instead, we're using SharePoint workspaces, intranet sites where        documents and other data can be centrally located and accessed.    -   a tremendous amount of local research has been done on African        agriculture.    -   A distinction must also be made between conflicts and hassles.    -   [Who or what must also?]    -   He had borne the Allied cause on his shoulders during the war's        first, flickering hours, and this would not soon be forgotten.    -   [Who or what would not soon?]    -   That is the kind of scrutiny each gift received before it was        approved.    -   [Who or what?]    -   Instead, we're using SharePoint workspaces, intranet sites where        documents and other data can be centrally located and accessed.    -   [Who or what can centrally?]    -   a tremendous amount of local research has been done on African        agriculture.    -   [Who or what has?]    -   A distinction must also be made between conflicts and hassles.    -   [Who or what must also?]    -   He had borne the Allied cause on his shoulders during the war's        first, flickering hours, and this would not soon be forgotten.    -   [Who or what would not soon?]    -   That is the kind of scrutiny each gift received before it was        approved.    -   [Who or what?]    -   Instead, we're using SharePoint workspaces, intranet sites where        documents and other data can be centrally located and accessed.    -   [Who or what can centrally?]    -   a tremendous amount of local research has been done on African        agriculture.    -   [Who or what has?]    -   A distinction must also be made between conflicts and hassles.    -   [Who or what must also make?]    -   He had borne the Allied cause on his shoulders during the war's        first, flickering hours, and this would not soon be forgotten.    -   [Who or what would not soon forget?]    -   That is the kind of scrutiny each gift received before it was        approved.    -   [Who or what?]    -   Instead, we're using SharePoint workspaces, intranet sites where        documents and other data can be centrally located and accessed.    -   [Who or what can centrally locate and access?]    -   a tremendous amount of local research has been done on African        agriculture.    -   [Who or what has?]    -   A distinction must also be made between conflicts and hassles.    -   [Who or what must also make?]    -   He had borne the Allied cause on his shoulders during the war's        first, flickering hours, and this would not soon be forgotten.    -   [Who or what would not soon forget?]    -   That is the kind of scrutiny each gift received before it was        approved.    -   [Who or what approved?]    -   Instead, we're using SharePoint workspaces, intranet sites where        documents and other data can be centrally located and accessed.    -   [Who or what can centrally locate and access?]    -   a tremendous amount of local research has been done on African        agriculture.    -   [Who or what has done?]    -   A distinction must also be made between conflicts and hassles.    -   [Who or what must also make a distinction?]    -   He had borne the Allied cause on his shoulders during the war's        first, flickering hours, and this would not soon be forgotten.    -   [Who or what would not soon forget this?]    -   That is the kind of scrutiny each gift received before it was        approved.    -   [Who or what approved it?]    -   Instead, we're using SharePoint workspaces, intranet sites where        documents and other data can be centrally located and accessed.    -   [Who or what can centrally locate and access documents and other        data?]    -   a tremendous amount of local research has been done on African        agriculture.    -   [Who or what has done a tremendous amount of local research?]    -   A distinction must also be made between conflicts and hassles.    -   [Who or what must also make a distinction?] [[politicians]]    -   He had borne the Allied cause on his shoulders during the war's        first, flickering hours, and this would not soon be forgotten.    -   [Who or what would not soon forget this?] [[his men]]    -   That is the kind of scrutiny each gift received before it was        approved.    -   [Who or what approved it?] [[our shipper]]    -   Instead, we're using SharePoint workspaces, intranet sites where        documents and other data can be centrally located and accessed.    -   [Who or what can centrally locate and access documents and other        data?] [[we]]    -   a tremendous amount of local research has been done on African        agriculture.    -   [Who or what has done a tremendous amount of local research?]    -   [[high school students]]    -   A distinction must also be made between conflicts and hassles.    -   [politicians must also make a distinction?]    -   He had borne the Allied cause on his shoulders during the war's        first, flickering hours, and this would not soon be forgotten.    -   [his men would not soon forget this?]    -   That is the kind of scrutiny each gift received before it was        approved.    -   [our shipper approved it?]    -   Instead, we're using SharePoint workspaces, intranet sites where        documents and other data can be centrally located and accessed.    -   [we can centrally locate and access documents and other data?]    -   a tremendous amount of local research has been done on African        agriculture.    -   [high school students has done a tremendous amount of local        research?]    -   A distinction must also be made between conflicts and hassles.    -   [politicians must also make a distinction]    -   He had borne the Allied cause on his shoulders during the war's        first, flickering hours, and this would not soon be forgotten.    -   [his men would not soon forget this]    -   That is the kind of scrutiny each gift received before it was        approved.    -   [our shipper approved it]    -   Instead, we're using SharePoint workspaces, intranet sites where        documents and other data can be centrally located and accessed.    -   [we can centrally locate and access documents and other data]    -   a tremendous amount of local research has been done on African        agriculture.    -   [high school students has done a tremendous amount of local        research]    -   between conflicts and hassles.    -   [politicians must also make a distinction]    -   He had borne the Allied cause on his shoulders during the war's        first, flickering hours, and.    -   [his men would not soon forget this]    -   That is the kind of scrutiny each gift received before.    -   [our shipper approved it]    -   Instead, we're using SharePoint workspaces, intranet sites        where.    -   [we can centrally locate and access documents and other data]    -   on African agriculture.    -   [high school students has done a tremendous amount of local        research]    -   politicians must also make a distinction between conflicts and        hassles.    -   He had borne the Allied cause on his shoulders during the war's        first, flickering hours, and his men would not soon forget this.    -   That is the kind of scrutiny each gift received before our        shipper approved it.    -   Instead, we're using SharePoint workspaces, intranet sites where        we can centrally locate and access documents and other data.    -   high school students has done a tremendous amount of local        research on African agriculture.    -   politicians must also make a distinction between conflicts and        hassles.    -   He had borne the Allied cause on his shoulders during the war's        first, flickering hours, and his men would not soon forget this.    -   That is the kind of scrutiny each gift received before our        shipper approved it.    -   Instead, we're using SharePoint workspaces, intranet sites where        we can centrally locate and access documents and other data.    -   high school students have done a tremendous amount of local        research on African agriculture.    -   Politicians must also make a distinction between conflicts and        hassles.    -   He had borne the Allied cause on his shoulders during the war's        first, flickering hours, and his men would not soon forget this.    -   That is the kind of scrutiny each gift received before our        shipper approved it.    -   Instead, we're using SharePoint workspaces, intranet sites where        we can centrally locate and access documents and other data.    -   High school students have done a tremendous amount of local        research on African agriculture.

K. “to be” Verb-“being”-Past Participle

This rule can be implemented in connection with other rules that searchfor “to be” verbs. Thus, the “to be” verb can be considered a sign forthis rule. This rule can begin at the step numbered, “76” below, afterother rules have been considered and rejected or considered and applied.Thus, other steps can be pre-cursor steps to this rule (e.g., 1-3,6-11), in some embodiments, as indicated.

(1) system searches for “to be” verb

(2) is “to be” verb followed immediately by “required”?

(3) if yes, is “to” found in the next two words?

6. [referring to the question posed in Step 2] if no, is “to be” verbfollowed by “involved,” “engaged,” or “dedicated?”

7. if yes, system ignores

8. [referring to the question posed in Step 6], if no, is “to be” verbfollowed by infinitive?

9. if yes, system ignores

10. [referring to the question posed in Step 8] if no, is “to be” verbfollowed by past participle?

11. if yes, is past participle followed by “by”?

76. [referring to the question posed in Step 10], if no, is “to be” verbfollowed by “being”?

77. if yes, is “being” followed by past participle?

78. if yes, system continues with Steps 60 through 64

79. system adds the “to be” verb

80. system adds the adverbs in “to be” verb unit

81. system adds present participle form of past participle

82. system continues with Steps 69 through 75

In some embodiments, the system searches for a “to be” verb anddetermines if the “to be” verb is followed immediately by the word“required.” If the “to be” verb is followed immediately by the word“required,” then the system determines if the word “to” is found withinthe next two words. If, however, the “to be” verb is not followedimmediately by the word “required,” then the system determines if the“to be” verb is followed by the word “involved.” If the “to be” verb isfollowed by the word “involved,” the word “engaged,” or the word“dedicated,” then the system ignores the phrase. If, however, the “tobe” verb is not followed by the word “involved,” then the systemdetermines if the “to be” verb is followed by an infinitive. If the “tobe” verb is followed by an infinitive, then the system ignores thephrase. If the “to be” verb is not followed by an infinitive, then thesystem determines if the “to be” verb is followed by a past participle.If the “to be” verb is followed by a past participle, the systemdetermines if the past participle is followed by the word “by.” If,however, the “to be” verb is not followed by a past participle, then thesystem determines if the “to be” verb is followed by the word “being.”If the “to be” verb is followed by the word “being,” then the systemdetermines if the word “being” is followed by a past participle. If theword “being” is followed by a past participle, then the systemhighlights the sentence and prompts the user: “This sentence is passive;would you like to make it active?” The user will select “Yes” or “No.”If the user selects “No,” then the system will ignore the phrase. If theuser selects “Yes,” then the system forms a question, beginning “Who orwhat.” Then the system adds the “to be” verb, adds the adverbs in the“to be” verb unit, adds the present participle form of the pastparticiple, and, using the noun that forms the object, the systemfinishes the question. The user answers the question by typing theactor, and the system responds by replacing “Who or what” with the typedactor, removing the question mark, deleting words that form the passivepart of the sentence, and placing a new active version where the systemdeleted the passive part of the sentence. At this juncture, the systemmatches the verb number with the number of noun or nouns and capitalizesor recapitalizes as appropriate. The “to be” verb-“being”-pastparticiple rule is illustrated in Example 11 below.

Example 11

-   -   In the meantime, the clinic is being built and the school is        being expanded.    -   After the G8, on to Ghana, where much of the interesting work is        being done.    -   As Kohn was being interviewed, the newly adopted dog sat loyally        next to her new owner.    -   In the meantime, the clinic is being built and the school is        being expanded.    -   After the G8, on to Ghana, where much of the interesting work is        being done.    -   As Kohn was being interviewed, the newly adopted dog sat loyally        next to her new owner.    -   In the meantime, the clinic is being built and the school is        being expanded.    -   After the G8, on to Ghana, where much of the interesting work is        being done.    -   As Kohn was being interviewed, the newly adopted dog sat loyally        next to her new owner.    -   In the meantime, the clinic is being built and the school is        being expanded.    -   [Who or what?]    -   [Who or what?]    -   After the G8, on to Ghana, where much of the interesting work is        being done.    -   [Who or what?]    -   As Kohn was being interviewed, the newly adopted dog sat loyally        next to her new owner.    -   [Who or what?]    -   In the meantime, the clinic is being built and the school is        being expanded.    -   [Who or what is?]    -   [Who or what is?]    -   After the G8, on to Ghana, where much of the interesting work is        being done.    -   [Who or what is?]    -   As Kohn was being interviewed, the newly adopted dog sat loyally        next to her new owner.    -   [Who or what was?]    -   In the meantime, the clinic is being built and the school is        being expanded.    -   [Who or what is building the clinic?]    -   [Who or what is expanding the school?]    -   After the G8, on to Ghana, where much of the interesting work is        being done.    -   [Who or what is doing much of the interesting work?]    -   As Kohn was being interviewed, the newly adopted dog sat loyally        next to her new owner.    -   [Who or what was interviewing Kohn?]    -   In the meantime, the clinic is being built and the school is        being expanded.    -   [Who or what is building the clinic?] [[the locals]]    -   [Who or what is expanding the school?] [[the locals]]    -   After the G8, on to Ghana, where much of the interesting work is        being done.    -   [Who or what is doing much of the interesting work?] [[the UN]]    -   As Kohn was being interviewed, the newly adopted dog sat loyally        next to her new owner.    -   [Who or what was interviewing Kohn?] [[I]]    -   In the meantime, the clinic is being built and the school is        being expanded.    -   [the locals is building the clinic?]    -   [the locals is expanding the school?]    -   After the G8, on to Ghana, where much of the interesting work is        being done.    -   [the UN is doing much of the interesting work?]    -   As Kohn was being interviewed, the newly adopted dog sat loyally        next to her new owner.    -   [I was interviewing Kohn?]    -   In the meantime, the clinic is being built and the school is        being expanded.    -   [the locals is building the clinic]    -   [the locals is expanding the school]    -   After the G8, on to Ghana, where much of the interesting work is        being done.    -   [the UN is doing much of the interesting work]    -   As Kohn was being interviewed, the newly adopted dog sat loyally        next to her new owner.    -   [I was interviewing Kohn]    -   In the meantime, and.    -   [the locals is building the clinic]    -   [the locals is expanding the school]    -   After the G8, on to Ghana, where.    -   [the UN is doing much of the interesting work]    -   As, the newly adopted dog sat loyally next to her new owner.    -   [I was interviewing Kohn]    -   In the meantime, the locals is building the clinic and the        locals is expanding the school.    -   After the G8, on to Ghana, where the UN is doing much of the        interesting work.    -   As I was interviewing Kohn, the newly adopted dog sat loyally        next to her new owner.    -   In the meantime, the locals is building the clinic and the        locals is expanding the school.    -   After the G8, on to Ghana, where the UN is doing much of the        interesting work.    -   As I was interviewing Kohn, the newly adopted dog sat loyally        next to her new owner.    -   In the meantime, the locals are building the clinic and the        locals are expanding the school.    -   After the G8, on to Ghana, where the UN is doing much of the        interesting work.    -   As I was interviewing Kohn, the newly adopted dog sat loyally        next to her new owner.

II. Passive Voice

A. First Passive Voice

In some embodiments, the system searches for signs such as “am,” “is,”“was,” “were,” “are,” “been,” or “be.” Next, the system determineswhether the word following the sign is a past participle (from a pool ofpast participles.) If the word is not a past participle from the pool,the system queries if the word is an adverb from the pool of adverbs ora negative from the pool of negatives. If the answer is yes, the systemthen determines whether the adverb or negative is followed by a pastparticiple from the pool. If it is, then the adverb or the negativebecomes part of the past participle as the system turns the sentenceactive (see, e.g., sub-rules A-E of section I regarding passive voice,above). Thereafter, the system determines if the deleted “to be” verb isa present tense verb. If it is, then the past participle is changed tothe present tense. The first passive voice rule is illustrated inExample 12 below.

Example 12

The issue of fraud is rarely raised by the defendant.

The issue of fraud is rarely raised by the defendant.

The issue of fraud is rarely raised by the defendant.

The issue of fraud is never raised by the defendant.

The issue of fraud is never raised by the defendant.

The defendant never raised the issue of fraud.

The defendant rarely raised the issue of fraud.

The defendant rarely raises the issue of fraud.

B. Second Passive Voice

In some embodiments, the system searches for signs, such as “am,” “is,”“was,” “were,” “are,” “been,” or “be.” Then the system determines if theword following the “to be” verb is a past participle from the pool. Ifit is not, the system queries: “Is the following word an adverb from thepool or negative from the pool followed by a past participle from thepool?” If the word following the “to be” verb is a negative followed bya past participle, then the system turns the sentence active (see, e.g.,sub-rules A-E of section I regarding passive voice, above). Then, thesystem determines if the deleted “to be” verb is present tense or pasttense. If the deleted verb was in the present tense, then the systemdetermines if the actor is a third person singular.

If the actor is a third person singular, then the system adds the word“does” just before the word “not” and changes the past participle topresent tense, usually by dropping “ed” or “ded.” If the deleted verbwas in the present tense, however, but the actor is not third personsingular, the system will add “do” just before “not” and will change thepast participle to present tense. If the deleted verb was in the pasttense with an actor who was singular or plural, the system adds the word“did” in front of “not” and changes the past participle to presenttense. The second passive voice rule is illustrated in Example 13 below.

Example 13

The issue of fraud is not raised by the defendant.

The defendant not raised the issue of fraud.

The defendant not raised the issue of fraud.

The defendant does not raise the issue of fraud.

The defendants do not raise the issue of fraud.

The defendants did not raise the issue of fraud.

The defendant did not raise the issue of fraud.

The defendant did not raise the issue of fraud.

C. Third Passive Voice

In some embodiments, the system searches for the “to be” verb sign, suchas “am,” “is,” “was,” “were,” “are,” “been,” or “be.” Second, the systemdetermines if the word following that “to be” verb is a past participle(e.g., from a pool of past participles). If it is not, then the systemdetermines if the following word is an adverb from an adverb pool (seeAppendix C in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/825,218, filedSep. 11, 2006, which is hereby incorporated by reference for alldisclosure relating to Appendix C thereof) or a negative from a pool. Ifit is not, the system determines if the following word is “being.” Ifthe word is “being,” then the system queries if “being” is followed by apast participle from the pool of past participles. If the systemdetermines that the word following “being” is a past participle from thepool, then the system turns the sentence active (see, e.g., sub-rulesA-E of section I regarding passive voice, above). Then, with “to be”verb, word “being,” past participle and object and actor unitsidentified, the system deletes the word “being” and the preposition, butkeeps the “to be” verb.

At this point, the system turns the past participle into an “ing” word.Then the system moves the object noun unit to follow immediately afterthe new “ing” word. The system then moves the actor noun unit to precedethe new “ing” word. Then, the system determines if the actor noun unitis singular or plural and changes the “number” of the corresponding “tobe” verbs to agree with the actor noun unit. Finally, the systempunctuates appropriately. The third passive voice rule is illustrated inExample 14 below.

Example 14

The pyramid was being designed by Egyptian architects.

The pyramid was being designed by Egyptian architects.

The pyramid was being designed by Egyptian architects.

The pyramid was being designed by Egyptian architects.

The pyramid was designed Egyptian architects.

The pyramid was designing Egyptian architects.

was designing The pyramid Egyptian architects.

Egyptian architects was designing The pyramid.

Egyptian architects were designing the pyramid.

Egyptian architects were designing the pyramid.

D. “this” or “these”

In some embodiments, the system searches for a “to be” verb, and uponfinding one, determines if the “to be” verb is preceded by “this” or“these.” If so, the system determines whether the “to be” verb isfollowed by a noun unit. If so, the system determines whether the noununit is followed immediately by another noun unit. If so, the systemdetermines whether the second noun unit is followed immediately by averb unit. If so, the system deletes “to be” verb and any articlepreceding the first noun unit. The system then moves the second noununit and verb unit to a position immediately before “[T]hese” or“[T]his”. The system then capitalizes. This rule is illustrated below:

These are words no good writer would use.

This is an employee we can't do without.

These are words no good writer would use.

This is an employee we can't do without.

These are words [no good writer] would use.

This is an employee [we] can't do without.

These are words [no good writer] {would use}.

This is an employee [we] {can't do without}.

These words [no good writer] {would use}.

This employee [we] {can't do without}.

[no good writer] {would use} These words.

[we] {can't do without} This employee.

No good writer would use these words.

We can't do without this employee.

III. Nominalization Rule

A. First Nominalization

In some embodiments, the system searches for words ending in “ion,”“ions,” “al,” “ant,” “ance,” “ancy,” “ent,” “enc,” “ency,” “ity,” “ing,”“sis,” “ise,” and “ure.” After finding one of those words, the systemtries to match the word to the pool of false positive nominalizations.False positive nominalizations are illustrated below in Table 2. If thesystem finds a match in the false positive pool, it will ignore theword. If, however, the system finds no match in the false positive pool,it determines if the word preceding the nominalization is an adjectivefrom an adjective pool. (See Appendix D in U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/825,218, filed Sep. 11, 2006, which is herebyincorporated by reference for all disclosure relating to Appendix Dthereof). If the system finds a match, it then tries to match thenominalization and the adjective to the second false positive pool,something that would be akin to “like an important decision.” If thesystem finds a match, then it ignores the two words. If the system findsno match, however, it returns to the step later.

TABLE 2 Example Nominalization False Positives sophistication nationammunition potion foundation vision notion premonition lotion reputationsection privation commotion tension excursion circumstance locomotiondefence fence defense proposal flagrantIf the system finds a match in the false positive pool, it will ignorethe words.

If the system finds no match, it searches the first four words precedingthe nominalization for a “to be” verb or verb from a verb pool (whichwill often be “make,” “take,” “cause,” “reach,” “have,” “effect,” and“engage” and their past tense and third person forms). For additionalverbs in a verb pool, see Appendix A in U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/825,218, filed Sep. 11, 2006, which is herebyincorporated by reference for all disclosure relating to Appendix Athereof. If more than one of these verbs precedes the nominalization,the system chooses the verb closest to the nominalization. If the systemfinds the verb, then the system will delete the verb plus any articlebetween the verb and the nominalization, or prompt the user to do so. Ifthe system additionally finds the word “in” between the verb and thenominalization that it has just deleted, it will also delete the word“in.” If the system finds the word “of” immediately following thenominalization it has just deleted, it will also delete the word “of.”

At this point, the system will determine the tense of the deleted verb.The system will then match the tense of the deleted verb and turn anominalization not modified by an adjective into its verb form. If thenominalization is modified by an adjective and there was no match foundin the second false positive pool, the system then tries to match thenominalization and the adjective to the true positive pool (likeimmediate termination). If the system finds a match, it turns thenominalization into its verb form and the adjective into an adverb form(like immediately terminated). If the system, however, finds no match,the system will still turn the nominalization into its verb form and theadjective into the adverb form, then highlight both the adverb and theverb, prompting the user, “Does this make sense, or would you like toleave it in the original wording?”

While an exhaustive list would be very long, an example nominalizationword pool can comprise words such as the following:

TABLE 3 Example Nominalization True Positives NominalizationCorresponding Verb agreement agree circumvention circumvent contentioncontend intention intend pertinence pertain requirement requiresuspicion suspect

The first nominalization sub-rule is illustrated in Example 15 below.

Example 15

-   -   We should reject the proposal because it is a flagrant        circumvention of established rules.    -   We stand in agreement that this section has pertinence to any        contract.    -   We should reject the proposal because it is a flagrant        circumvention of established rules.    -   We stand in agreement that this section has pertinence to any        contract.    -   We should reject the proposal because it is a flagrant        circumvention of established rules.    -   We stand in agreement that this section has pertinence to any        contract.    -   We should reject the proposal because it is a flagrant        circumvention of established rules.    -   We stand in agreement that this section has pertinence to any        contract.    -   We should reject the proposal because it is a flagrant        circumvention of established rules.    -   We stand in agreement that this section has pertinence to any        contract.    -   We should reject the proposal because it a flagrant        circumvention of established rules.    -   We in agreement that this section pertinence to any contract.    -   We should reject the proposal because it a flagrant        circumvention of established rules.    -   We in agreement that this section pertinence to any contract.    -   We should reject the proposal because it flagrant circumvention        established rules.    -   We agreement that this section pertinence to any contract.    -   We should reject the proposal because it flagrant circumvention        established rules.    -   We agree that this section pertains to any contract.    -   We should reject the proposal because it flagrant circumvents        established rules.    -   We agree that this section pertains to any contract.    -   We should reject the proposal because it flagrantly circumvents        established rules.    -   We agree that this section pertains to any contract.    -   We should reject the proposal because it flagrantly circumvents        established rules.    -   We agree that this section pertains to any contract.

B. Second Nominalization Sub-Rule

In some embodiments, when the system has completed steps to convert anominalization to a verb, the system then searches for any wordremaining between the deleted verb and the nominalization. If the systemfinds a word between the deleted verb and nominalization, it deletes ordiminishes that word (e.g., by reducing the brightness of the word onthe screen, changing it to a relatively smaller font, changing itscolor, reducing its loudness, etc.). If the system diminishes the word,a user can be prompted to decide if the word should be deleted. Thesecond verb unit rule is illustrated in Example 16 below.

Example 16

-   -   The manager may have some suspicion with respect to the        customer's honesty.    -   Downstream water quality has as a requirement that we treat the        sewage first.    -   The manager may have some suspicion with respect to the        customer's honesty.    -   Downstream water quality has as a requirement that we treat the        sewage first.    -   The manager may some suspect the customer's honesty.    -   Downstream water quality as requires that we treat the sewage        first.    -   The manager may some suspect the customer's honesty.    -   Downstream water quality as requires we treat the sewage first.    -   The manager may suspect the customer's honesty.    -   Downstream water quality requires that we treat the sewage        first.

C. Third Nominalization Sub-Rule

In some embodiments, after the system has completed the firstnominalization rule, the system then determines if the word “it” appearswithin the first six words preceding the nominalization and if thenominalization is modified by a possessive pronoun or possessive noun.The system then replaces the word “it” with the subjective form of thepossessive pronoun or possessive noun. If the word “it” appears within acertain number of (e.g., the first six) words preceding thenominalization and the nominalization is immediately followed by aprepositional phrase, the system preferably replaces the word “it” withthe object of the preposition and its article and adjectives. The systemcan then delete the prepositional phrase. At this point the systemcapitalizes and uncapitalizes the sentence appropriately. The systemthen determines if the possessive noun or pronoun is in the third personand the system will match the verb form of the nominalization. The thirdverb unit rule is illustrated in Example 17 below.

Example 17

-   -   If it is your intention to cause delay, we will oppose you.    -   It was the contention of the weaker players that the owners were        being unfair.    -   If it is your intention to cause delay, we will oppose you.    -   It was the contention of the weaker players that the owners were        being unfair.    -   If it is your intention to cause delay, we will oppose you.    -   It was the contention of the weaker players that the owners were        being unfair.    -   If it is your intend to cause delay, we will oppose you.    -   It contended of the weaker players that the owners were being        unfair.    -   If it your intend to cause delay, we will oppose you.    -   It contended of the weaker players that the owners were being        unfair.    -   If it your intend to cause delay, we will oppose you.    -   It contended of the weaker players that the owners were being        unfair.    -   If you intend to cause delay, we will oppose you.    -   It contended of the weaker players that the owners were being        unfair.    -   If you intend to cause delay, we will oppose you.    -   It contended of the weaker players that the owners were being        unfair.    -   If you intend to cause delay, we will oppose you.    -   the weaker players contended of that the owners were being        unfair.    -   If you intend to cause delay, we will oppose you.    -   the weaker players contended that the owners were being unfair.    -   If you intend to cause delay, we will oppose you.    -   The weaker players contended that the owners were being unfair.    -   If it is his intention to cause delay, we will oppose him.    -   The weaker players contended that the owners were being unfair.    -   If it is his intention to cause delay, we will oppose him.    -   The weaker players contended that the owners were being unfair.    -   If he intends to cause delay, we will oppose him.    -   The weaker players contended that the owners were being unfair.    -   If he intends to cause delay, we will oppose him.    -   The weaker players contended that the owners were being unfair.

IV. The Noun Unit and Verb Unit Rules

A. First Noun Unit Sub-Rule

In some embodiments, a noun unit is defined as a noun plus the precedingarticle and adjectives and adverbs modifying the adjectives andimmediately following the words “of,” “with,” or “in,” and the objectnoun unit.

The first noun unit sub-rule is illustrated in Example 18:

Example 18

-   -   There was no explanation beyond the highly-rumored, unproved        possibility of cold drafts in the gallery over the weekend.    -   There are a lot of men who feel that our personal value is        defined by our net worth.    -   There is an abundance of interesting facts relating to all our        major diseases.    -   If nothing was done by political leaders in the Middle East,        things would get worse.    -   There was no explanation beyond the highly-rumored, unproved        possibility of cold drafts in the gallery over the weekend.    -   There are a lot of men who feel that our personal value is        defined by our net worth.    -   There is an abundance of interesting facts relating to all our        major diseases.    -   If nothing was done by political leaders in the Middle East,        things would get worse.    -   There was no explanation beyond the highly-rumored, unproved        possibility of cold drafts in the gallery over the weekend.    -   There are a lot of men who feel that our personal value is        defined by our net worth.    -   There is an abundance of interesting facts relating to all our        major diseases.    -   If nothing was done by political leaders in the Middle East,        things would get worse.    -   There was no explanation beyond the highly-rumored, unproved        possibility of cold drafts in the gallery over the weekend.    -   There are a lot of men who feel that our personal value is        defined by our net worth.    -   There is an abundance of interesting facts relating to all our        major diseases.    -   If nothing was done by political leaders in the Middle East,        things would get worse.    -   There was no explanation beyond the highly-rumored, unproved        possibility of cold drafts in the gallery over the weekend.    -   There are a lot of men who feel that our personal value is        defined by our net worth.    -   There is an abundance of interesting facts relating to all our        major diseases.    -   If nothing was done by political leaders in the Middle East,        things would get worse.    -   There was no explanation beyond the highly-rumored, unproved        possibility of cold drafts in the gallery over the weekend.    -   There are a lot of men who feel that our personal value is        defined by our net worth.    -   There is an abundance of interesting facts relating to all our        major diseases.    -   If nothing was done by political leaders in the Middle East,        things would get worse.

Thus, the noun units are as indicated:

-   -   There was no explanation beyond the highly-rumored, unproved        possibility of cold drafts in the gallery over the weekend.    -   There are a lot of men who feel that our personal value is        defined by our net worth.    -   There is an abundance of interesting facts relating to all our        major diseases.    -   If nothing was done by political leaders in the Middle East,        things would get worse.

B. Second Noun Unit Sub-Rule

In some embodiments, a noun unit may also be a string of noun units in aseries. This string of noun units in a series may be separated by commasand the word “and” or the word “or”. Furthermore, a “noun unit” may be agroup of more than one noun unit. Thus, a noun unit may furthercomprise: 1) any word or group of words immediately following a “noununit” (as defined above); 2) set off by commas; and 3) composed entirelyof another “noun unit” (as defined above).

The second noun unit rule is illustrated in Example 19:

Example 19

-   -   There were toxic levels of mercury found in the lakes, the        rivers, the sound, and the ocean.    -   Seattle, Portland, or San Francisco will have openings.    -   There were toxic levels of mercury found in the lakes, the        rivers, the sound, and the ocean.    -   Seattle, Portland, or San Francisco will have openings.    -   There were toxic levels of mercury found in the lakes, the        rivers, the sound, and the ocean.    -   Seattle, Portland, or San Francisco will have openings.    -   There were toxic levels of mercury found in the lakes, the        rivers, the sound, and the ocean.    -   Seattle, Portland, or San Francisco will have openings.

C. Verb Unit Sub-Rule

As defined herein, a verb unit includes the verb plus preceding helpingverbs including words like “be,” “do,” “may,” “have,” “will,” “have,”“shall,” and all of their tenses and combination for example, “will havebeen.” The verb unit also includes all preceding adverbs and theirfollowing adverbs. Under the “there” rule, all helping verbs and adverbsremain after the system deletes “there,” “to be” verbs, the word “that”and prepositions. Under the “there” rule, if a user is asked to insert averb in a blank, the helping verbs and the adverbs will immediatelyprecede the blank. The fourth verb unit rule is illustrated in Examples20 and 21 below.

Example 20

-   -   Two men so alike in their features, they might have been twins        swiftly rode through the night.    -   He settled comfortably against the wood and the fish swam        steadily and the boat moved slowly through the dark water.    -   Two men so alike in their features, they might have been twins        swiftly rode through the night.    -   He settled comfortably against the wood and the fish swam        steadily and the boat moved slowly through the dark water.    -   Two men so alike in their features, they might have been twins        swiftly rode through the night.    -   He settled comfortably against the wood and the fish swam        steadily and the boat moved slowly through the dark water.    -   Two men so alike in their features, they might have been twins        swiftly rode through the night.    -   He settled comfortably against the wood and the fish swam        steadily and the boat moved slowly through the dark water.    -   Two men so alike in their features, they might have been twins        swiftly rode through the night.    -   He settled comfortably against the wood and the fish swam        steadily and the boat moved slowly through the dark water.

Example 21

-   -   There rarely have been so many banks that let you manage your        own account.    -   There has already been a string of hopeful political events in        the last year.    -   There rarely have been so many banks that let you manage your        own account.    -   There has already been a string of hopeful political events in        the last year.    -   There rarely have been so many banks that let you manage your        own account.    -   There has already been a string of hopeful political events in        the last year.    -   rarely have been so many banks that let you manage your own        account.    -   has already been a string of hopeful political events in the        past year.    -   rarely have so many banks that let you manage your own account.    -   has already a string of hopeful political events in the past        year.    -   rarely have been so many banks let you manage your own account.    -   has already been a string of hopeful political events the past        year.    -   rarely have been so many banks let you manage your own account.    -   has already a string of hopeful political events the past year.    -   rarely have so many banks that let you manage your own account.    -   the past year has already ______ a string of hopeful political        events.    -   Rarely have so many banks let you manage your own account.    -   The past year has already brought a string of hopeful political        events.        V. “there” Rule

A. First “there” Sub-Rule

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “there.” Thesystem then determines if the word following “there” is a “to be” verb.If it is not, then the system determines if the word following “there”is a preposition. If it is a preposition, then the system will delete“[T]here.” The first “there” rule is illustrated in Example 22 below.

Example 22

There in the woods stood a fawn.

There beside the cookie jar sat two brownies.

He was just standing there in the doorway.

There in the woods stood a fawn.

There beside the cookie jar sat two brownies.

He was just standing there in the doorway.

There in the woods stood a fawn.

There beside the cookie jar sat two brownies.

He was just standing there in the doorway.

in the woods stood a fawn.

beside the cookie jar sat two brownies.

He was just standing in the doorway.

In the woods stood a fawn.

Beside the cookie jar sat two brownies.

He was just standing in the doorway.

B. Second “there” Sub-Rule

If the word following “[T]here” is a “to be” verb, then the system willidentify the noun unit immediately following the “to be” verb. At thispoint the system will determine if the word “that” (or “who” or “which”)follows immediately after the noun unit. If it does, then the systemqueries if the word following “that” (or “who” or “which”) is a nounfrom the noun pool (see Appendix B in U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/825,218, filed Sep. 11, 2006, which is herebyincorporated by reference for all disclosure relating to Appendix Bthereof). If the answer is yes, then the system deletes “there” and the“to be” verb. The system then inserts an underlying space in front of“that” and the system prompts the user: “What verb would you like toinsert here?” The user then types in the verb. The system can then applya “that” rule. For example, the “that” rule can be applied to determineif the word “that” automatically remains or automatically is deleted, orthe system can prompt the user: “Do you want to keep ‘that’?” The userat this point indicates a “yes” or a “no” and the system capitalizesaccordingly.

If the word following “that” is not a noun from the noun pool, thesystem queries whether it is a verb from the verb pool. If it is a verbfrom the verb pool (See Appendix A in U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/825,218, filed Sep. 11, 2006, which is herebyincorporated by reference for all disclosure relating to Appendix Athereof), then the system deletes “there,” the “to be” verb, and theword “that.” At this point, the system will capitalize and prompt theuser: “Do you like this better?” If the user at this point says, “No,”the system will replace the edited sentence with the original. Thesecond “there” rule is illustrated in Example 23 below.

Example 23

-   -   There are several syntactic devices that let you manage where        you locate new units.    -   There are three principles that help to resolve this issue.    -   There are pieces of evidence that we have had it the wrong way        round.    -   There are several syntactic devices that let you manage where        you locate new units.    -   There are three principles that help to resolve this issue.    -   There are pieces of evidence that we have had it the wrong way        round.    -   There are several syntactic devices that let you manage where        you locate new units.    -   There are three principles that help to resolve this issue.    -   There are pieces of evidence that we have had it the wrong way        round.    -   There are several syntactic devices that let you manage where        you locate new units.    -   There are three principles that help to resolve this issue.    -   There are pieces of evidence that we have had it the wrong way        round.    -   There are several syntactic devices that let you manage where        you locate new units.    -   There are three principles that help to resolve this issue.    -   There are pieces of evidence that we have had it the wrong way        round.    -   There are several syntactic devices that let you manage where        you locate new units.    -   There are three principles that help to resolve this issue.    -   There are pieces of evidence that we have had it the wrong way        round.    -   There are several syntactic devices that let you manage where        you locate new units.    -   There are three principles that help to resolve this issue.    -   pieces of evidence that we have had it the wrong way round.    -   There are several syntactic devices that let you manage where        you locate new units.    -   There are three principles that help to resolve this issue.    -   pieces of evidence ______ that we have had it the wrong way        round.    -   There are several syntactic devices that let you manage where        you locate new units.    -   There are three principles that help to resolve this issue.    -   pieces of evidence suggest that we have had it the wrong way        round.    -   There are several syntactic devices that let you manage where        you locate new units.    -   There are three principles that help to resolve this issue.    -   Pieces of evidence suggest we have had it the wrong way round.    -   There are several syntactic devices that let you manage where        you locate new units.    -   There are three principles that help to resolve this issue.    -   Pieces of evidence suggest that we have had it the wrong way        round.    -   several syntactic devices let you manage where you locate new        units.    -   three principles help to resolve this issue.    -   Pieces of evidence suggest that we have had it the wrong way        round.    -   Several syntactic devices let you manage where you locate new        units.    -   Three principles help to resolve this issue.    -   Pieces of evidence suggest we have had it the wrong way round.    -   There are several syntactic devices that let you manage where        you locate new units.    -   There are three principles that help to resolve this issue.    -   Pieces of evidence suggest we have had it the wrong way round.

C. Third “there” Sub-Rule

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “there” anddetermines if the following word is a “to be” verb. If it is, then thesystem identifies the noun unit immediately following the “to be” verband queries: “Does the word ‘that’ (or ‘who’ or ‘which’) followimmediately after the noun unit. If it does not, then the systemdetermines if the following word is a past participle. If it is, thenthe system determines if the word following the preposition is “by,”“in,” “from,” “for,” or “through?” If it is not, then the system deletesthe word “there” and moves the “to be” verb to a position between thefirst noun unit and the past participle. At this point, the system willcapitalize appropriately and prompt the user: “Do you like this better?”If the user says no, the system replaces the edited sentence with theoriginal. If the user says yes, the system dims the “to be” verb andprompts the user: “Can you think of a better verb to go here?” If theuser says no, the system “un-dims” the “to be” verb. If the user types apreferred verb, the system inserts that preferred verb.

If the word following the past participle is a preposition “by,” “in,”“from,” “for,” or “through,” then the system identifies the noun unitthat forms the object of the preposition. At this point, the systemdeletes “there,” the “to be” verb, and the preposition. The system thenwill move the first noun unit to a position immediately after theparticiple, and the system will move the object noun unit to a positionimmediately before the participle and recapitalize appropriately. Atthis point, the system will prompt the user: “Do you like this better?”If the user says no, the system will replace the new sentence with theoriginal.

The third “there” rule is illustrated in Example 24 below.

Example 24

-   -   There were a few good reasons offered by the court for denying        punitive damages.    -   There were four grounds stated in the Perault case for ordering        the involuntary partition.    -   There are balloons stapled to every post.    -   There were a few good reasons offered by the court for denying        punitive damages.    -   There were four grounds stated in the Perault case for ordering        the involuntary partition.    -   There are balloons stapled to every post.    -   There were a few good reasons offered by the court for denying        punitive damages.    -   There were four grounds stated in the Perault case for ordering        the involuntary partition.    -   There are balloons stapled to every post.    -   There were a few good reasons offered by the court for denying        punitive damages.    -   There were four grounds stated in the Perault case for ordering        the involuntary partition.    -   There are balloons stapled to every post.    -   There were a few good reasons offered by the court for denying        punitive damages.    -   There were four grounds stated in the Perault case for ordering        the involuntary partition.    -   Balloons are stapled to every post.    -   There were a few good reasons offered by the court for denying        punitive damages.    -   There were four grounds stated in the Perault case for ordering        the involuntary partition.    -   Balloons are stapled to every post.    -   There were a few good reasons offered by the court for denying        punitive damages.    -   There were four grounds stated in the Perault case for ordering        the involuntary partition.    -   Balloons are stapled to every post.    -   There were a few good reasons offered by the court for denying        punitive damages.    -   There were four grounds stated in the Perault case for ordering        the involuntary partition.    -   Balloons hang stapled to every post.    -   There were a few good reasons offered by the court for denying        punitive damages.    -   There were four grounds stated in the Perault case for ordering        the involuntary partition.    -   Balloons hang stapled to every post.    -   There were a few good reasons offered by the court for denying        punitive damages.    -   There were four grounds stated in the Perault case for ordering        the involuntary petition.    -   Balloons hang stapled to every post.    -   were a few good reasons offered by the court for denying        punitive damages.    -   were four grounds stated in the Perault case for ordering the        involuntary partition.    -   Balloons hang stapled to every post.    -   a few good reasons offered by the court for denying punitive        damages.    -   four grounds stated in the Perault case for ordering the        involuntary partition.    -   Balloons hang stapled to every post.    -   a few good reasons offered the court for denying punitive        damages.    -   four grounds stated the Perault case for ordering the        involuntary partition.    -   Balloons hang stapled to every post.    -   offered a few good reasons the court for denying punitive        damages.    -   stated four grounds the Perault case for ordering the        involuntary partition.    -   Balloons hang stapled to every post.    -   the court offered a few good reasons for denying punitive        damages.    -   the Perault case stated four grounds for ordering the        involuntary partition.    -   Balloons hang stapled to every post.    -   The court offered a few good reasons for denying punitive        damages.    -   The Perault case stated four grounds for ordering the        involuntary partition.    -   Balloons hang stapled to every post.

D. Fourth “there” Sub-Rule

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “there.” Second,the system determines if the word following “there” is a “to be” verb.If it is, then the system identifies a noun unit immediately followingthe “to be” verb, and queries: “Does the word ‘that’ (or ‘who,’ or‘which’ or ‘where’) follow immediately after the noun unit?” If it doesnot, then the system determines if the following word is a pastparticiple.

If the following word is not a past participle, then the system willdetermine if the following word is a preposition. If it is, then thesystem will identify the object noun unit of that preposition. At thispoint, the system will delete the words “there,” the “to be” verb, andthe preposition. The system moves the first noun unit to a positionimmediately following the object noun unit. The system will then insertan underlined space between the two units and prompt the user: “Whatverb would you like to insert here?” After the user types in a verb, theuser has the opportunity to make additional changes. The system willthen recapitalize accordingly. The fourth “there” rule is illustratedfurther in Example 25 below.

Example 25

-   -   There is no factual basis for the second cause of action.    -   Absent fraud, there is no way for plaintiff to avoid the plain        language of the statute.    -   There are two errors in this report.    -   There are three misstatements of fact in appellant's brief.    -   There is no factual basis for the second cause of action.    -   Absent fraud, there is no way for plaintiff to avoid the plain        language of the statute.    -   There are two errors in this report.    -   There are three misstatements of fact in appellant's brief.    -   There is no factual basis for the second cause of action.    -   Absent fraud, there is no way for plaintiff to avoid the plain        language of the statute.    -   There are two errors in this report.    -   There are three misstatements of fact in appellant's brief.    -   There is no factual basis for the second cause of action.    -   Absent fraud, there is no way for plaintiff to avoid the plain        language of the statute.    -   There are two errors in this report.    -   There are three misstatements of fact in appellant's brief.    -   is no factual basis for the second cause of action.    -   Absent fraud, is no way for plaintiff to avoid the plain        language of the statute.    -   are two errors in this report.    -   are three misstatements of fact in appellant's brief.    -   no factual basis the second cause of action.    -   Absent fraud, no way plaintiff to avoid the plain language of        the statute.    -   two errors this report.    -   three misstatements of fact appellant's brief    -   the second cause of action no factual basis.    -   Absent fraud, plaintiff no way to avoid the plain language of        the statute.    -   this report two errors.    -   appellant's brief three misstatements of fact.    -   the second cause of action ______ no factual basis.    -   Absent fraud, plaintiff ______ no way to avoid the plain        language of the statute.    -   this report ______ two errors.    -   appellant's brief ______ three misstatements of fact.    -   the second cause of action has no factual basis.    -   Absent fraud, plaintiff has no way to avoid the plain language        of the statute.    -   this report contains two errors.    -   appellant's brief contains three misstatements of fact.    -   the second cause of action has no factual basis.    -   Absent fraud, plaintiff has no way to avoid the plain language        of the statute.    -   this report contains two errors.    -   appellant's brief contains three misstatements of fact.    -   the second cause of action has no factual basis.    -   Absent fraud, plaintiff cannot avoid the plain language of the        statute.    -   this report contains two errors.    -   appellant's brief contains three misstatements of fact.    -   The second cause of action has no factual basis.    -   Absent fraud, plaintiff cannot avoid the plain language of the        statute.    -   This report contains two errors.    -   Appellant's brief contains three misstatements of fact.

E. Fifth “there” Sub-Rule

After the system searches for the word “there” and determines that thefollowing word is a “to be” verb, the system then will identify a noununit immediately following the “to be” verb and determine if the wordimmediately following the noun unit is “that,” “who,” “which,” or“where.” If the word immediately following the noun unit is “who-” or“where,” then the same rules applying to “that” as outlined in thesubrules above will apply to the words “who” and “where.” If that wordis “which,” then the system determines if a comma appears immediatelybefore the “which.” If it does, then the same rules applying to the word“that” apply to the word “which.” The fifth “there” rule is illustratedin Example 26 below.

Example 26

-   -   There are a lot of men who feel that our personal value is        defined by our net worth.    -   There is, for sure, not a lack of websites which inadvertently        contain serious mistakes.    -   There are a lot of men who feel that our personal value is        defined by our net worth.    -   There is, for sure, not a lack of websites which inadvertently        contain serious mistakes.    -   There are a lot of men who feel that our personal value is        defined by our net worth.    -   There is, for sure, not a lack of websites which inadvertently        contain serious mistakes.    -   There are a lot of men who feel that our personal value is        defined by our net worth.    -   There is, for sure, not a lack of websites which inadvertently        contain serious mistakes.    -   a lot of men feel that our personal value is defined by our net        worth.    -   for sure, not a lack of websites inadvertently contain serious        mistakes.    -   a lot of men feel that our personal value is defined by our net        worth.    -   for sure, not a lack of websites inadvertently contain serious        mistakes.    -   a lot of men feel that our personal value is defined by our net        worth.    -   not a lack of websites inadvertently contain serious mistakes.    -   a lot of men feel that our personal value is defined by our net        worth.    -   many websites inadvertently contain serious mistakes.    -   A lot of men feel that our personal value is defined by our net        worth.    -   Many websites inadvertently contain serious mistakes.

F. Sixth “there” Sub-Rule

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “there” anddetermines if the word following “there” is a “to be” verb. If it is,then the system identifies a noun unit immediately following the “to be”verb and determines if the word “that” (or “who” or “which” or “where”)follows immediately after the noun unit. If no word follows the noununit, the system deletes the word “there” and the “to be” verb. Afterthe noun unit, the system adds the word “exist,” matching the number ofthe word “exist” to the noun. The system recapitalizes accordingly andprompts the user: “Do you like this better?” If the user says “No,” thenthe system replaces the provisional new sentence with the original. Ifthe user says “Yes,” then the provisional new sentence permanentlyreplaces the original sentence. The sixth “there” rule is illustrated inExample 27 below.

Example 27

There is no other source.

There is no other source.

There is no other source.

no other source.

no other source exist.

no other source exists.

No other source exists.

There is no other source.

VI. It Rule

A. First “it” Sub-Rule

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “it.” The systemthen determines if the word “it” is part of a contraction or if a “tobe” verb appears within the next five words. If yes, then the systemdetermines if the word “that” (or who or which, etc.) follows the “tobe” verb. If the word “that” follows the “to be” verb, then the systemmatches the phrase from “it” through “that” with the phrase in the “it”pool listed in Table 4 below, which includes many examples, but is notmeant to be exhaustive.

TABLE 4 Example “it” Pool It is said that It is argued that It was saidthat It was argued that It may be said that It may be argued that Itmust be said that It must be argued that It might be said that It mightbe argued that It should be said that It should be argued that It couldbe said that It could be argued that It will be said that It will beargued that It has been said that It has been argued that It bearssaying that It is remembered that It bore saying that It was rememberedthat It is stated that It may be remembered that It was stated that Itmust be remembered that It may be stated that It might be rememberedthat It must be stated that It should be remembered that It might bestated that It could be remembered that It should be stated that It willbe remembered that It could be stated that It bears remembering that Itwill be stated that It bore remembering that It has been stated that Itis appreciated that It bears stating that It was appreciated that Itbore stating that It may be appreciated that It is noted that It must beappreciated that It was noted that It might be appreciated that It maybe noted that It should be appreciated that It must be noted that Itcould be appreciated that It might be noted that It will be appreciatedthat It should be noted that It is likely that It could be noted that Itwas likely that It will be noted that It is most likely that It has beennoted that It is more likely that It bears noting that It was mostlikely that It bore noting that It was more likely that It is no secretthat It is recognized that It was no secret that It was recognized thatIt may be no secret that It may be recognized that It might be no secretthat It must be recognized that It must be no secret that It might berecognized that It should be no secret that It should be recognized thatIt could be no secret that It could be recognized that It will be nosecret that It will be recognized that It has been no secret that It hasbeen recognized that It comes as no secret that It is axiomatic that Itcame as no secret that It was axiomatic that It may come as no secretthat It should be axiomatic that It might come as no secret that It maybe axiomatic that It must come as no secret that It is fair to say thatIt could be that It was fair to say that It should be that It is a mustthat It may be that It was a must that It might be that It is imperativethat It must be that It is true that It could have been that It becameapparent to me that It should have been that It was well-settled that Itmay have been that It is well-settled that It might have been that Itmust have been that It seemed to me that It would seem to me that

If the system finds a match in the “it” pool, the system deletes allwords from “it” through “that.” If the system finds no match in the “it”pool, the system determines if all words between the “to be” verb andthe word “that” are any combination of verbs (including participles,help verbs, and infinitives); adverbs; and adjectives. If the systemdetermines that this condition is met, then the system deletes all wordsfrom “[I]t” through “that.” The system then recapitalizes appropriately.The first “it” rule is illustrated in Example 28 below.

Example 28

-   -   It is known that Churchill often used photographs to help him        compose his paintings.    -   It should be noted that the protagonists do not acknowledge the        inevitability of failure until that failure stares them in the        face.    -   It's entirely possible that we are on the verge of developing a        proper applied science, but it has to be said that we don't have        one yet.    -   It is known that Churchill often used photographs to help him        compose his paintings.    -   It should be noted that the protagonists do not acknowledge the        inevitability of failure until that failure stares them in the        face.    -   It's entirely possible that we are on the verge of developing a        proper applied science, but it has to be said that we don't have        one yet.    -   It is known that Churchill often used photographs to help him        compose his paintings.    -   It should be noted that the protagonists do not acknowledge the        inevitability of failure until that failure stares them in the        face.    -   It's entirely possible that we are on the verge of developing a        proper applied science, but it has to be said that we don't have        one yet.    -   It is known that Churchill often used photographs to help him        compose his paintings.    -   It should be noted that the protagonists do not acknowledge the        inevitability of failure until that failure stares them in the        face.    -   It's entirely possible that we are on the verge of developing a        proper applied science, but it has to be said that we don't have        one yet.    -   It is known that Churchill often used photographs to help him        compose his paintings.    -   It should be noted that the protagonists do not acknowledge the        inevitability of failure until that failure stares them in the        face.    -   It's entirely possible that we are on the verge of developing a        proper applied science, but it has to be said that we don't have        one yet.    -   It is known that Churchill often used photographs to help him        compose his paintings.    -   It should be noted that the protagonists do not acknowledge the        inevitability of failure until that failure stares them in the        face.    -   It's entirely possible that we are on the verge of developing a        proper applied science, but it has to be said that we don't have        one yet.    -   It is known that Churchill used photographs to help him compose        his paintings.    -   the protagonists do not acknowledge the inevitability of failure        until that failure stares them in the face.    -   It's entirely possible that we are on the verge of developing a        proper applied science, but it has to be said that we don't have        one yet.    -   It is known that Churchill used photographs to help him compose        his paintings.    -   the protagonists do not acknowledge the inevitability of failure        until that failure stares them in the face.    -   It's entirely possible that we are on the verge of developing a        proper applied science, but it has to be said that we don't have        one yet.    -   It is known that Churchill used photographs to help him compose        his paintings.    -   the protagonists do not acknowledge the inevitability of failure        until that failure stares them in the face.    -   It's entirely possible that we are on the verge of developing a        proper applied science, but it has to be said that we don't have        one yet.    -   Churchill often used photographs to help him compose his        paintings.    -   the protagonists do not acknowledge the inevitability of failure        until that failure stares them in the face.    -   we are on the verge of developing a proper applied science, but        we don't have one yet.    -   Churchill often used photographs to help him compose his        paintings.    -   The protagonists do not acknowledge the inevitability of failure        until that failure stares them in the face.    -   We are on the verge of developing a proper applied science, but        we don't have one yet.

B. Second “it” Sub-Rule

If the system determines that all words between the “to be” verb and theword “that” are verbs, adverbs, and adjectives, the verbs including pastparticiples, helping verbs, and infinitives, the system then determinesif two commas appear between the “to be” verb and the word “that.” Iftwo commas do appear, then the system deletes all the words from “it”through “that,” except for the words between the two commas. At thispoint, the system capitalizes appropriately, keeping only the secondcomma. The second “it” rule is illustrated in Example 29 below.

Example 29

-   -   It is clear, even then, that Webster had an abundant capacity        for leadership.    -   It is clear, even then, that Webster had an abundant capacity        for leadership.    -   It is clear, even then, that Webster had an abundant capacity        for leadership.    -   even then, Webster had an abundant capacity for leadership.    -   Even then, Webster had an abundant capacity for leadership.

C. Third “it” Sub-Rule

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “it” anddetermines if the word “it” is part of a contraction or if a “to be”verb appears within the next five words after the word “it.” If it does,then the system determines if the word “who” follows the “to be” verb.If it does, then the system deletes “it” and the “to be” verb anddetermines if the “who” appears immediately after a pronoun. If it does,then the system will ignore it. If the “who” does not appear immediatelyafter a pronoun, then the system deletes “who” and recapitalizesaccordingly. The third “it” rule is illustrated in Example 30 below.

Example 30

-   -   It was Frank Daniel who first formulated a deceptively simple        delineation of the basic dramatic circumstance.    -   It is their son who is reading for the first time.    -   It's those who strive to honor the indigenous who get our        readers' acclaim.    -   It was Frank Daniel who first formulated a deceptively simple        delineation of the basic dramatic circumstance.    -   It is their son who is reading for the first time.    -   It's those who strive to honor the indigenous who get our        readers' acclaim.    -   It was Frank Daniel who first formulated a deceptively simple        delineation of the basic dramatic circumstance.    -   It is their son who is reading for the first time.    -   It's those who strive to honor the indigenous who get our        readers' acclaim.    -   Frank Daniel who first formulated a deceptively simple        delineation of the basic dramatic circumstance.    -   their son who is reading for the first time.    -   those who strive to honor the indigenous who get our readers'        acclaim.    -   Frank Daniel who first formulated a deceptively simple        delineation of the basic dramatic circumstance.    -   their son who is reading for the first time.    -   those who strive to honor the indigenous who get our readers'        acclaim.    -   Frank Daniel who first formulated a deceptively simple        delineation of the basic dramatic circumstance.    -   their son who is reading for the first time.    -   those who strive to honor the indigenous who get our readers'        acclaim.    -   Frank Daniel first formulated a deceptively simple delineation        of the basic dramatic circumstance.    -   their son is reading for the first time.    -   those who strive to honor the indigenous get our readers'        acclaim.    -   Frank Daniel first formulated a deceptively simple delineation        of the basic dramatic circumstance.    -   Their son is reading for the first time.    -   Those who strive to honor the indigenous get our readers'        acclaim.

D. Fourth “it” Sub-Rule

In some embodiments, the system searches for “it” and determines if “it”is part of a contraction or if a “to be” verb appears within the nextfive words after the word “it.” If “Yes,” then the system determines ifthe word “that” (or “who” or “which”) follows the “to be” verb. If itdoes not, then the system determines if the word “who” follows the “tobe” verb. If it does not, then the system determines if the “to be” verbis followed immediately by “not until” or “n′t until.” If “Yes,” thenthe system determines if the word “that” appears between “until” and theend of the sentence. If it does, then the system deletes “it,” the “tobe” verb and converts “n′t” to “not,” if necessary.

The system ignores the word “that” if it appears between commas, in aprepositional phrase or after the first “that.” The system will identifythe past tense verb within three words following the word “that” andwill convert the past tense verb to a first person present tense. Atthis point, the system has two options, both of which can be presentedto the user. The first option it offers is to replace “that” with theword “did” and capitalize, creating a first provisional sentence to showto the user. In the second option, the system deletes the word “not” andthe word “that” and inserts “did not” in front of the new present tenseverb, and will present this second provisional sentence option to theuser. Following either the first option or the second option, the systemwill move all the words following the position of “that” to a positionimmediately before the word “until” and will recapitalize accordingly.The fourth “it” rule is illustrated in Example 31 below.

Example 31

-   -   Groves had Du Pont make Teflon for the bomb, but it was not        until 1960 that it coated pans and muffin tins.    -   It wasn't until later, when the show was absolutely blowing up        and Evangeline was on the covers of all kinds of magazines, that        I realized that I'd gotten my foot in the door.    -   Groves had Du Pont make Teflon for the bomb, but it was not        until 1960 that it coated pans and muffin tins.    -   It wasn't until later, when the show was absolutely blowing up        and Evangeline was on the covers of all kinds of magazines, that        I realized that I'd gotten my foot in the door.    -   Groves had Du Pont make Teflon for the bomb, but it was not        until 1960 that it coated pans and muffin tins.    -   It wasn't until later, when the show was absolutely blowing up        and Evangeline was on the covers of all kinds of magazines, that        I realized that I'd gotten my foot in the door.    -   Groves had Du Pont make Teflon for the bomb, but not until 1960        that it coated pans and muffin tins.    -   not until later, when the show was absolutely blowing up and        Evangeline was on the covers of all kinds of magazines, that I        realized that I'd gotten my foot in the door.    -   Groves had Du Pont make Teflon for the bomb, but not until 1960        that it coated pans and muffin tins.    -   not until later, when the show was absolutely blowing up and        Evangeline was on the covers of all kinds of magazines, that I        realized that I'd gotten my foot in the door.    -   Groves had Du Pont make Teflon for the bomb, but not until 1960        that it coat pans and muffin tins.    -   not until later, when the show was absolutely blowing up and        Evangeline was on the covers of all kinds of magazines, that I        realize that I'd gotten my foot in the door.    -   Groves had Du Pont make Teflon for the bomb, but not until 1960        did it coat pans and muffin tins.    -   Not until later, when the show was absolutely blowing up and        Evangeline was on the covers of all kinds of magazines, did I        realize that I'd gotten my foot in the door.    -   Groves had Du Pont make Teflon for the bomb, but until 1960 it        did not coat pans and muffin tins.    -   until later, when the show was absolutely blowing up and        Evangeline was on the covers of all kinds of magazines, I did        not realize that I'd gotten my foot in the door.    -   Groves had Du Pont make Teflon for the bomb, but until 1960 it        did not coat pans and muffin tins.    -   until later, when the show was absolutely blowing up and        Evangeline was on the covers of all kinds of magazines, I did        not realize that I'd gotten my foot in the door.    -   Groves had Du Pont make Teflon for the bomb, but it did not coat        pans and muffin tins until 1960.    -   I did not realize that I'd gotten my foot in the door until        later, when the show was absolutely blowing up and Evangeline        was on the covers of all kinds of magazines,    -   Groves had Du Pont make Teflon for the bomb, but it did not coat        pans and muffin tins until 1960.    -   I did not realize that I'd gotten my foot in the door until        later, when the show was absolutely blowing up and Evangeline        was on the covers of all kinds of magazines.

E. Fifth “it” Sub-Rule

Referring to the first “it” sub-rule, paragraph 0136, if the systemdetermines that not all words between the “to be” verb and the word“that” are verbs, adverbs and adjectives, then the system determines ifthe word immediately following the “to be” verb is a preposition or isan adverb followed by a preposition. If it is, then the systemdetermines if the word “that” follows immediately after the preposition.If it does, then the system will ignore it. At this juncture, the systemwill delete the words “it,” the “to be” verb and any “that” notfollowing immediately after the preposition. The system will thenrecapitalize in the sentence accordingly. The fifth “it” rule isillustrated in Example 32 below.

Example 32

-   -   It was at that moment that I knew he could really see me.    -   It was during those penitential laps that my attitude hardened.    -   It's in that context of skepticism toward science that some        reasonable questions have been raised.    -   It was shortly after the British Red Cross arrived that a large        quantity of lipstick arrived.    -   It was at that moment that I knew he could really see me.    -   It was during those penitential laps that my attitude hardened.    -   It's in that context of skepticism toward science that some        reasonable questions have been raised.    -   It was shortly after the British Red Cross arrived that a large        quantity of lipstick arrived.    -   It was at that moment that I knew he could really see me.    -   It was during those penitential laps that my attitude hardened.    -   It's in that context of skepticism toward science that some        reasonable questions have been raised.    -   It was shortly after the British Red Cross arrived that a large        quantity of lipstick arrived.    -   It was at that moment that I knew he could really see me.    -   It was during those penitential laps that my attitude hardened.    -   If in that context of skepticism toward science that some        reasonable questions have been raised.    -   It was shortly after the British Red Cross arrived that a large        quantity of lipstick arrived.    -   It was at that moment that I knew he could really see me.    -   It was during those penitential laps that my attitude hardened.    -   It's in that context of skepticism toward science that some        reasonable questions have been raised.    -   It was shortly after the British Red Cross arrived that a large        quantity of lipstick arrived.    -   was at that moment that I knew he could really see me.    -   was during those penitential laps that my attitude hardened.    -   It's in that context of skepticism toward science that some        reasonable questions have been raised.    -   was shortly after the British Red Cross arrived that a large        quantity of lipstick arrived.    -   at that moment that I knew he could really see me.    -   during those penitential laps that my attitude hardened.    -   in that context of skepticism toward science that some        reasonable questions have been raised.    -   shortly after the British Red Cross arrived that a large        quantity of lipstick arrived.    -   at that moment I knew he could really see me.    -   during those penitential laps my attitude hardened.    -   in that context of skepticism toward science some reasonable        questions have been raised.    -   shortly after the British Red Cross arrived a large quantity of        lipstick arrived.    -   At that moment I knew he could really see me.    -   During those penitential laps my attitude hardened.    -   In that context of skepticism toward science some reasonable        questions have been raised.    -   Shortly after the British Red Cross arrived a large quantity of        lipstick arrived.

F. Sixth “it” Sub-Rule

This rule can be implemented in connection with other rules that searchfor “it.” Thus, the term “it” can be considered a sign for this rule.This rule can begin at the step numbered, “29” below, after other ruleshave been considered and rejected or considered and applied. Thus, othersteps can be pre-cursor steps to this rule (e.g., 1-5, 6-7), in someembodiments, as indicated.

(1) System searches for “[I]t”

(2) is “[I]t” part of contraction, or does “to be” verb appear withinnext five words?

(3) if yes, does word “that” [or “who”-see Step 12] follow “to be” verb

(4) if yes, system tries to match phrase from “[I]t” through “that” withphrase in “it” pool

(5) if system finds match, it deletes all words from “[I]t” through“that”

6. if system finds no match in “it” pool, are all words between “to be”verb and “that” verbs (including participles, help verbs, andinfinitives), adverbs, and adjectives?

7. if yes, system deletes all words from “[I]t” through “that”

29. [referring to the question posed in Step 6], if no, is wordfollowing “to be” verb a preposition, or an adverb followed by apreposition?

30. if yes, does a “that” follow immediately after the preposition?

34. [referring to the question posed in Step 29], if no, is word orwords following immediately after “to be” verb a noun unit?

35. if yes, does the “that” follow immediately after noun unit, or aprepositional phrase attached to noun unit?

36. if yes, system deletes “[I]t” “to be” verb and “that”

37. does another “that” appear later in sentence?

38. if yes, does a verb follow “that”?

39. if yes, system also deletes that “that”, and replaces it with acomma

40. System capitalizes

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “it” anddetermines if “it” is part of a contraction or if a “to be” verb appearswithin the next five words following the word “it.” If it does, then thesystem determines if the word “that” (or “who” or “which”) follows the“to be” verb. If it does, then the system tries to match the phrase from“it” through “that” with a phrase in the “it” pool above. If the systemfinds a match, then it finds a match in the “it” pool. It deletes all ofthe words from “it” through “that.”

If the system finds no match in the “it” pool, the system determines ifall of the words between the “to be” verb and the word “that” are verbs(including participles, helping verbs and infinitives), adverbs andadjectives. If they are, then the system will delete all of the wordsfrom “it” through “that.” If they are not, however, the system willdetermine if the word following the “to be” verb is a preposition or anadverb followed by a preposition. If it is, the system determines if theword “that” follows immediately after the preposition. If it does not,the system determines if a word or words following immediately after the“to be” verb is a noun unit. If it is, then the system determines if theword “that” follows immediately after the noun unit or a prepositionalphrase attached to the noun unit. If so, then the system will delete theword “it,” the “to be” verb and the word “that” (except in the case ofthe idiomatic phrase “it is a shame that,” which the system can ignoreas a false positive). At this point, the system determines if anotherword “that” appears later in the sentence. And if so, does a verb followthe word “that?” If so, then the system will delete the word “that” andwill replace it with a comma. At this point, the system willrecapitalize accordingly. The sixth “it” rule is illustrated in Example33 below.

Example 33

-   -   It is their decisions that determine both characters' actions,        and it is their desire that overwhelms the partner's desire.    -   It is the character's belief that keeps the story alive that        gives us the needed shred of hope that the goal might still be        achieved.    -   It is the protagonist's pursuit of his objective that we follow        as the story unfolds, and it is this pursuit that draws us into        the story.    -   It is their decisions that determine both characters' actions,        and it is their desire that overwhelms the partner's desire.    -   It is the character's belief that keeps the story alive that        gives us the needed shred of hope that the goal might still be        achieved.    -   It is the protagonist's pursuit of his objective that we follow        as the story unfolds, and it is this pursuit that draws us into        the story.    -   It is their decisions that determine both characters' actions,        and it is their desire that overwhelms the partner's desire.    -   It is the character's belief that keeps the story alive that        gives us the needed shred of hope that the goal might still be        achieved.    -   It is the protagonist's pursuit of his objective that we follow        as the story unfolds, and it is this pursuit that draws us into        the story.    -   It is their decisions that determine both characters' actions,        and it is their desire that overwhelms the partner's desire.    -   It is the character's belief that keeps the story alive that        gives us the needed shred of hope that the goal might still be        achieved.    -   It is the protagonist's pursuit of his objective that we follow        as the story unfolds, and it is this pursuit that draws us into        the story.    -   It is their decisions that determine both characters' actions,        and it is their desire that overwhelms the partner's desire.    -   It is the character's belief that keeps the story alive that        gives us the needed shred of hope that the goal might still be        achieved.    -   It is the protagonist's pursuit of his objective that we follow        as the story unfolds, and it is this pursuit that draws us into        the story.    -   their decisions determine both characters' actions, and their        desire overwhelms the partner's desire.    -   the character's belief keeps the story alive that gives us the        needed shred of hope that the goal might still be achieved.    -   the protagonist's pursuit of his objective we follow as the        story unfolds, and this pursuit draws us into the story.    -   their decisions determine both characters' actions, and their        desire overwhelms the partner's desire.    -   the character's belief keeps the story alive that gives us the        needed shred of hope that the goal might still be achieved.    -   the protagonist's pursuit of his objective we follow as the        story unfolds, and this pursuit draws us into the story.    -   their decisions determine both characters' actions, and their        desire overwhelms the partner's desire.    -   the character's belief keeps the story alive, gives us the        needed shred of hope that the goal might still be achieved.    -   the protagonist's pursuit of his objective we follow as the        story unfolds, and this pursuit draws us into the story.    -   Their decisions determine both characters' actions, and their        desire overwhelms the partner's desire.    -   The character's belief keeps the story alive, gives us the        needed shred of hope that the goal might still be achieved.    -   The protagonist's pursuit of his objective we follow as the        story unfolds, and this pursuit draws us into the story.

G. Seventh “it” Sub-Rule

This rule can be implemented in connection with other rules that searchfor “it.” Thus, the term “it” can be considered a sign for this rule.This rule can begin at the step numbered, “41” below, after other ruleshave been considered and rejected or considered and applied. Thus, othersteps can be pre-cursor steps to this rule (e.g., 1-4), in someembodiments, as indicated.

(1) System searches for “[I]t”

(2) is “[I]t” part of contraction, or does “to be” verb appear withinnext five words?

(3) if yes, does word “that” [or “who”-see Step 12] follow “to be” verb

(4) if yes, system tries to match phrase from “[I]t” through “that” withphrase in “it” pool

41. [referring to the question posed in Step 3], if no, is “it” precededby conjunction from conjunction pool?

42. If yes, system deletes “it” and “to be” verb

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “it” anddetermines if “it” is part of a contraction or if a “to be” verb appearswithin the next five words following the word “it.” If so, the systemdetermines if the word “that” (or “who or “which”) follows the “to be”verb. If so, then the system tries to match the phrase “it” through“that” with a phrase in the “it” pool above. If not, however, the systemdetermines if “it” is preceded by a conjunction from a conjunction pool(see section XVIII, Table 12). If so, then the system deletes the word“it” and the “to be” verb. The seventh “it” rule is illustrated byExample 34 below.

Example 34

-   -   Making the movie meant spending nine months of my life        suffering—whether it was real or imagined.    -   This can be a very effective tool, but it is not the tool of        first choice under most circumstances.    -   Exposition can usually be made more engrossing if it is revealed        in conflict.    -   Making the movie meant spending nine months of my life suffering        —whether it was real or imagined.    -   This can be a very effective tool, but it is not the tool of        first choice under most circumstances.    -   Exposition can usually be made more engrossing if it is revealed        in conflict.    -   Making the movie meant spending nine months of my life suffering        —whether it was real or imagined.    -   This can be a very effective tool, but it is not the tool of        first choice under most circumstances.    -   Exposition can usually be made more engrossing if it is revealed        in conflict.    -   Making the movie meant spending nine months of my life suffering        —whether real or imagined.    -   This can be a very effective tool, but not the tool of first        choice under most circumstances.    -   Exposition can usually be made more engrossing if revealed in        conflict.    -   Making the movie meant spending nine months of my life suffering        —whether real or imagined.    -   This can be a very effective tool, but not the tool of first        choice under most circumstances.    -   Exposition can usually be made more engrossing if revealed in        conflict.

H. Eighth “it” Sub-Rule

This rule can be implemented in connection with other rules that searchfor “it.” Thus, the term “it” can be considered a sign for this rule.This rule can begin at the step numbered, “43” below, after other ruleshave been considered and rejected or considered and applied. Thus, othersteps can be pre-cursor steps to this rule (e.g., 1-4), in someembodiments, as indicated.

(1) System searches for “[I]t”

(2) is “[I]t” part of contraction, or does “to be” verb appear withinnext five words?

(3) if yes, does word “that” [or “who”-see Step 12] follow “to be” verb

(4) if yes, system tries to match phrase from “[I]t” through “that” withphrase in “it” pool

43. [referring to the question posed in Step 3], if yes, or no, is “tobe” verb followed by noun unit, followed by infinitive?

44. If yes, system deletes “it”, “to be” verb, noun unit, and “to”

45. System capitalizes

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “it” anddetermines if the word “it” is part of a contraction or if a “to be”verb appears within the next five words following the word “it.” If“Yes,” then the system determines if the word “that” (or “who” or“which” or “where”) follows the “to be” verb. If “Yes,” then the systemtries to match the phrase from “it” through “that” with a phrase in the“it” pool. As discussed above, the “it” pool contains various “it”phrases.

If the system is able to match the word “it” through “that” with aphrase in the “it” pool, or if it is not, the system determines if the“to be” verb is followed by a noun unit followed by an infinitive. If“Yes,” then the system deletes the word “it,” the “to be” verb, the noununit and the word “to.” At this point, the system recapitalizes asappropriate. The eighth “it” rule is illustrated in Example 35 below.

Example 35

-   -   It is a good idea to remember that the characters don't know who        the protagonist is, who the antagonist is, and who the        supporting players are.    -   It is a good idea to think of the three acts as a set of        landmarks an explorer tries to keep sight of when traveling        through new and dangerous territory.    -   It is a good idea to remember that the characters don't know who        the protagonist is, who the antagonist is, and who the        supporting players are.    -   It is a good idea to think of the three acts as a set of        landmarks an explorer tries to keep sight of when traveling        through new and dangerous territory.    -   It is a good idea to remember that the characters don't know who        the protagonist is, who the antagonist is, and who the        supporting players are.    -   It is a good idea to think of the three acts as a set of        landmarks an explorer tries to keep sight of when traveling        through new and dangerous territory.    -   It is a good idea to remember that the characters don't know who        the protagonist is, who the antagonist is, and who the        supporting players are.    -   It is a good idea to think of the three acts as a set of        landmarks an explorer tries to keep sight of when traveling        through new and dangerous territory.    -   It is a good idea to remember that the characters don't know who        the protagonist is, who the antagonist is, and who the        supporting players are.    -   It is a good idea to think of the three acts as a set of        landmarks an explorer tries to keep sight of when traveling        through new and dangerous territory.    -   remember that the characters don't know who the protagonist is,        who the antagonist is, and who the supporting players are.    -   think of the three acts as a set of landmarks an explorer tries        to keep sight of when traveling through new and dangerous        territory.    -   Remember that the characters don't know who the protagonist is,        who the antagonist is, and who the supporting players are.    -   Think of the three acts as a set of landmarks an explorer tries        to keep sight of when traveling through new and dangerous        territory.

I. Ninth “it” Sub-Rule

This rule can be implemented in connection with other rules that searchfor “it.” Thus, the term “it” can be considered a sign for this rule.This rule can begin at the step numbered, “46” below, after other ruleshave been considered and rejected or considered and applied. Thus, othersteps can be pre-cursor steps to this rule (e.g., 1-3), in someembodiments, as indicated.

(1) System searches for “[I]t”

(2) is “[I]t” part of contraction, or does “to be” verb appear withinnext five words?

(3) if yes, does word “that” [or “who”-see Step 12] follow “to be” verb

46. [referring to the question posed in Step 2], if no, is “it” followedimmediately by any other verb?

47. If yes, does any infinitive follow?

48. If yes, system deletes “it”, and moves all words beginning withinfinitive to position “it” occupied

49. System capitalizes

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “it” anddetermines if the word “it” is part of a contraction or if a “to be”verb appears within the next five words following the word “it.” If itdoes, then the system determines if the word “that” (or “who” or“which”) follows the “to be” verb. If the word “it” is not part of acontraction or a “to be” verb does not appear within the next five wordsfollowing the word “it,” then the system determines if the word “it” isfollowed immediately by any other verb. If it is, then the systemqueries: “Does any infinitive follows the word ‘it’?” If “Yes,” then thesystem deletes the word “it” and moves all words beginning with theinfinitive to the position that the word “it” occupied. At this point,the system recapitalizes as appropriate. The ninth “it” rule isillustrated in Example 36 below.

Example 36

-   -   It overlooks a staggering amount of basic research to say that        modern medicine began with the era of antibiotics.    -   It overlooks a staggering amount of basic research to say that        modern medicine began with the era of antibiotics.    -   It overlooks a staggering amount of basic research to say that        modern medicine began with the era of antibiotics.    -   It overlooks a staggering amount of basic research to say that        modern medicine began with the era of antibiotics.    -   overlooks a staggering amount of basic research to say that        modern medicine began with the era of antibiotics.    -   overlooks a staggering amount of basic research to say that        modern medicine began with the era of antibiotics.    -   to say that modern medicine began with the era of antibiotics        overlooks a staggering amount of basic research.    -   To say that modern medicine began with the era of antibiotics        overlooks a staggering amount of basic research.

VII. What Rule

The What Rule has seven sub-rules. They are: (A) “[W]hat”-verb unit-“tobe” verb-“that” (or no “that”); (B) “[W]hat”-verb unit-no “to be”verb=FALSE POSITIVE; (C) “[W]hat”-noun or pronoun-verb unit-“to do”-“tobe” verb-verb; (D) “[W]hat”-noun or pronoun-“to do” verb-“to be”verb-verb; (E) “[W]hat”-noun or pronoun-verb unit-“to be” verb; (F)“[W]hat”-noun unit-“to be” verb; (G) “[W]hat”-noun or pronoun-no “to be”verb=FALSE POSITIVE. Each is discussed in greater detail below.

A. “[W]hat”-Verb Unit-“to be” Verb-“that” (or No “that”)

1. System searches for “[W]hat”

2. is “[W]hat” followed by a verb unit?

3. if yes, is verb unit followed by a “to be” verb?

4. if yes, is “to be” verb followed by “that”

5. if yes, system deletes “[W]hat”, verb unit, “to be” verb, and “that”

6. if no, is “to be” verb followed by noun unit?

7. if yes, system deletes “[W]hat”, verb unit, and “to be” verb

8. System capitalizes

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “what” anddetermines if the word “what” is followed by a verb unit. If it is, thenthe system determines if the verb unit is followed by a “to be” verb. Ifit is, then the system determines if the “to be” verb is followed by theword “that.” If the word “that” does follow a “to be” verb, then thesystem deletes the word “what,” the verb unit, the “to be” verb, and theword “that.” If it does not, however, the system determines if the “tobe” verb is followed by a noun unit. If the “to be” verb is followed bya noun unit, then the system deletes the word “what,” the verb unit, andthe “to be” verb. At this juncture, the system recapitalizes asappropriate. The “[W]hat”-verb unit-“to be” verb-“that” (or no “that”)rule is illustrated in Example 37 below.

Example 37

-   -   A lot of the time what happens is that the little impulse that        gets me started on a story leads to something that's more        interesting.    -   A lot of the time what happens is that the little impulse that        gets me started on a story leads to something that's more        interesting.    -   A lot of the time what happens is that the little impulse that        gets me started on a story leads to something that's more        interesting.    -   A lot of the time what happens is that the little impulse that        gets me started on a story leads to something that's more        interesting.    -   A lot of the time what happens is that the little impulse that        gets me started on a story leads to something that's more        interesting.    -   A lot of the time the little impulse that gets me started on a        story leads to something that's more interesting.    -   A lot of the time what happens is the little impulse that gets        me started on a story leads to something that's more        interesting.    -   A lot of the time the little impulse that gets me started on a        story leads to something that's more interesting.    -   A lot of the time the little impulse that gets me started on a        story leads to something that's more interesting.

B. “[W]hat”-Verb Unit-No “to be” Verb=FALSE POSITIVE

(1) System searches for “[W]hat”

(2) is “[W]hat” followed by a verb unit?

3. if yes, is verb unit followed by a “to be” verb?

4. if yes, is “to be” verb followed by “that”

9. [referring to the question posed in Step 3] if no, system ignores asFALSE POSITIVE

In some embodiments, the system detects the word “what” followed by averb unit that is not followed by a “to be” verb. When the systemdetermines that no “to be” verb follows the verb unit, the systemignores the phrase as a FALSE POSITIVE. The “[W]hat”-verb unit-no “tobe” verb=FALSE POSITIVE rule is illustrated in Example 38 below.

Example 38

-   -   If the user panders to the audience, what determines the action        is the user's guess at what the audience wants a priori of the        story at hand.    -   What makes it so surpassingly strange is the fact that it's so        resolutely ordinary.    -   What are your smallest particles?    -   What was being said late last summer, however, was hard for him        to take.    -   If the user panders to the audience, what determines the action        is the user's guess at what the audience wants a priori of the        story at hand.    -   What makes it so surpassingly strange is the fact that it's so        resolutely ordinary.    -   What are your smallest particles?    -   What was being said late last summer, however, was hard for him        to take.    -   If the user panders to the audience, what determines the action        is the user's guess at what the audience wants a priori of the        story at hand.    -   What makes it so surpassingly strange is the fact that it's so        resolutely ordinary.    -   What are your smallest particles?    -   What was being said late last summer, however, was hard for him        to take.    -   If the user panders to the audience, what determines the action        is the user's guess at what the audience wants a priori of the        story at hand.    -   What makes it so surpassingly strange is the fact that it's so        resolutely ordinary.    -   What are your smallest particles?    -   What was being said late last summer, however, was hard for him        to take.

In some embodiments, when help verbs appear, and they are also “to be”verbs, they should not be interpreted as “to be” verbs but as part ofanother verb unit. E.g., “What was being said late last summer, however,was hard for him to take.” This example appears under the What Rule #2,which says that if “[W]hat” is followed by a verb unit that is notfollowed by a “to be” verb, a false positive is present. Preferably, thesystem interprets the example above as “[W]hat” followed by a verb unitthat is not followed by a “to be” verb. I.e., “was” is not a verb unitfollowed by the “to be” verb “being”.

C. “[W]hat”-Noun or Pronoun-Verb Unit-“to do”-“to be” Verb-Verb

(1) System searches for “[W]hat”

(2) is “[W]hat” followed by a verb unit?

3. if yes, is verb unit followed by a “to be” verb?

10. [referring to the question posed in Step 2] if no, is “[W]hat”followed by a noun or pronoun?

11. if yes, is noun or pronoun followed by a verb unit?

12. if yes, is verb unit followed by infinitive “to do”?

13. if yes, is infinitive “to do” followed by “to be” verb?

14. if yes, is “to be” verb followed by a verb unit?

15. if yes, system deletes “[W]hat”, do, and “to be” verb

16. if “to” now appears twice in a row, system deletes one

17. System capitalizes

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “what” anddetermines if the word “what” is followed by a verb unit. If it is notfollowed by a verb unit, then the system determines if the word “what”is followed by a noun or a pronoun. If it is, then the system determinesif the noun or pronoun is followed by a verb unit. If it is, then thesystem determines if the verb unit is followed by an infinitive “to do.”If the verb unit is followed by the infinitive “to do,” then the systemdetermines if the infinitive “to do” is followed by a “to be” verb. Ifit is, the system determines if the “to be” verb is followed by a verbunit. If it is, then the system deletes the word “what,” the word “do”and the “to be” verb. If the word “to” now appears twice in a row in thesentence or phrase, the system deletes one of the words “to.” At thisjuncture, the system will recapitalize as appropriate. The “[W]hat”-nounor pronoun-verb unit-“to do”-“to be” verb-verb rule is illustrated inExample 39 below.

Example 39

-   -   Ultimately, what you are trying to do is to find what the        story's going to be.    -   What he decides to do is have his wife kidnapped.    -   What I've figured out how to do is make people feel comfortable        on television and on the radio.    -   Ultimately, what you are trying to do is to find what the        story's going to be.    -   What he decides to do is have his wife kidnapped.    -   What I've figured out how to do is make people feel comfortable        on television and on the radio.    -   Ultimately, what you are trying to do is to find what the        story's going to be.    -   What he decides to do is have his wife kidnapped.    -   What I've figured out how to do is make people feel comfortable        on television and on the radio.    -   Ultimately, what you are trying to do is to find what the        story's going to be.    -   What he decides to do is have his wife kidnapped.    -   What I've figured out how to do is make people feel comfortable        on television and on the radio.    -   Ultimately, what you are trying to do is to find what the        story's going to be.    -   What he decides to do is have his wife kidnapped.    -   What I've figured out how to do is make people feel comfortable        on television and on the radio.    -   Ultimately, what you are trying to do is to find what the        story's going to be.    -   What he decides to do is have his wife kidnapped.    -   What I've figured out how to do is make people feel comfortable        on television and on the radio.    -   Ultimately, what you are trying to do is to find what the        story's going to be.    -   What he decides to do is have his wife kidnapped.    -   What I've figured out how to do is make people feel comfortable        on television and on the radio.    -   Ultimately, you are trying to to find what the story's going to        be.    -   he decides to have his wife kidnapped.    -   I've figured out how to make people feel comfortable on        television and on the radio.    -   Ultimately, you are trying to to find what the story's going to        be.    -   he decides to have his wife kidnapped.    -   I've figured out how to make people feel comfortable on        television and on the radio.    -   Ultimately, you are trying to find what the story's going to be.    -   He decides to have his wife kidnapped.    -   I've figured out how to make people feel comfortable on        television and on the radio.

D. “[W]hat”-Noun or Pronoun-“to do” Verb-“to be” Verb-Verb

(1) System searches for “[W]hat”

(2) is “[W]hat” followed by a verb unit?

3. if yes, is verb unit followed by a “to be” verb?

10. [referring to the question posed in Step 2] if no, is “[W]hat”followed by a noun or pronoun?

11. if yes, is noun or pronoun followed by a verb unit?

12. if yes, is verb unit followed by infinitive “to do”?

13. if yes, is infinitive “to do” followed by “to be” verb?

18. [referring to the question posed in Step 12] if no, is verb unit a“to do” verb?

19. if yes, is “to do” verb followed by “to be” verb?

20. if yes, is “to be” verb followed by a verb unit?

21. if yes, system deletes “[W]hat”, “to do” verb, and “to be” verb

22. if deleted “to be” verb is past tense, system converts followingverb unit to past tense

23. if deleted “to be” verb is present tense, system leaves followingverb unit in present tense, but matches it in number to deleted “to do”verb

24. System capitalizes

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “what” anddetermines if the word “what” is followed by a verb unit. If it is notfollowed by a verb unit, then the system determines if the word “what”is followed by a noun or pronoun. If it is, the system determines if thenoun or pronoun is followed by a verb unit. If the noun or pronoun isfollowed by a verb unit, then the system determines if the verb unit isfollowed by the infinitive “to do.”

If the verb unit is not followed by the infinitive “to do,” then thesystem determines if the verb unit is a “to do” verb. If the verb unitis a “to do” verb, then the system determines if the “to do” verb isfollowed by a “to be” verb. If the “to do” verb is followed by a “to be”verb, then the system determines if the “to be” verb is followed by averb unit. If the “to be” verb is followed by a verb unit, then thesystem deletes the word “what,” the “to do” verb and the “to be” verb.If the deleted “to be” verb is past tense, then the system converts thefollowing verb unit to past tense. If, however, the deleted “to be” verbis present tense, then the system leaves the following verb unit inpresent tense but matches it in number to the deleted “to do” verb. Atthis stage, the system recapitalizes as appropriate. The “[W]hat”-nounor pronoun-“to do” verb-“to be” verb-verb rule is illustrated in Example40 below.

Example 40

-   -   What Nora and Carl did was write their version of my screenplay.    -   What the Millennium Project does is bring these different groups        together, because villages don't live only on farming or only on        water or only on clinics.    -   What Nora and Carl did was write their version of my screenplay.    -   What the Millennium Project does is bring these different groups        together, because villages don't live only on farming or only on        water or only on clinics.    -   What Nora and Carl did was write their version of my screenplay.    -   What the Millennium Project does is bring these different groups        together, because villages don't live only on farming or only on        water or only on clinics.    -   What Nora and Carl did was write their version of my screenplay.    -   What the Millennium Project does is bring these different groups        together, because villages don't live only on farming or only on        water or only on clinics.    -   What Nora and Carl did was write their version of my screenplay.    -   What the Millennium Project does is bring these different groups        together, because villages don't live only on farming or only on        water or only on clinics.    -   Nora and Carl write their version of my screenplay.    -   the Millennium Project bring these different groups together,        because villages don't live only on farming or only on water or        only on clinics.    -   Nora and Carl (was) write their version of my screenplay.    -   the Millennium Project bring these different groups together,        because villages don't live only on farming or only on water or        only on clinics.    -   Nora and Carl wrote their version of my screenplay.    -   the Millennium Project bring these different groups together,        because villages don't live only on farming or only on water or        only on clinics.    -   Nora and Carl wrote their version of my screenplay.    -   the Millennium Project (is) bring these different groups        together, because villages don't live only on farming or only on        water or only on clinics.    -   Nora and Carl wrote their version of my screenplay.    -   the Millennium Project (does) (is) bring(s) these different        groups together, because villages don't live only on farming or        only on water or only on clinics.    -   Nora and Carl wrote their version of my screenplay.    -   The Millennium Project brings these different groups together,        because villages don't live only on farming or only on water or        only on clinics.

E. “[W]hat”-Noun or Pronoun-Verb Unit-“to be” Verb

(1) System searches for “[W]hat”

(2) is “[W]hat” followed by a verb unit?

3. if yes, is verb unit followed by a “to be” verb?

10. [referring to the question posed in Step 2] if no, is “[W]hat”followed by a noun or pronoun?

11. if yes, is noun or pronoun followed by a verb unit?

12. if yes, is verb unit followed by infinitive “to do”?

18. [referring to the question posed in Step 12] if no, is verb unit a“to do” verb?

25. [referring to the question posed in Step 18] if no, is verb unitfollowed by a “to be” verb?

26. if yes, system deletes “[W]hat” and “to be” verb

27. System capitalizes

((It Rule will take this further.))

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “what” anddetermines if the word “what” is followed by a verb unit. If it is notfollowed by a verb unit, then the system determines if the word “what”is followed by a noun or pronoun. If it is, then the system determinesif the noun or pronoun is followed by a verb unit. If a verb unit doesfollow the noun or pronoun, then the system determines if the verb unitis followed by the infinitive “to do.”

If the verb unit is not followed by the infinitive “to do,” then thesystem determines if the verb unit is a “to do” verb. If it is not a “todo” verb, the system determines if the verb unit is followed by a “tobe” verb. If it is, then the system deletes the word “what” and the “tobe” verb. At this juncture, the system recapitalizes as appropriate. Wenote that the “it” rule described herein continues this portion of themethod. The “[W]hat”-noun or pronoun-verb unit-“to be” verb rule isillustrated in Example 41 below.

Example 41

-   -   What I realized is that all I could do was focus on the next        move.    -   What it comes down to is this.    -   What this latest tally of the world's finest accommodations        demonstrates is that it is the striving for perfection, rather        than the claiming of it that produces quality.    -   What I realized is that all I could do was focus on the next        move.    -   What it comes down to is this.    -   What this latest tally of the world's finest accommodations        demonstrates is that it is the striving for perfection, rather        than the claiming of it that produces quality.    -   What I realized is that all I could do was focus on the next        move.    -   What it comes down to is this.    -   What this latest tally of the world's finest accommodations        demonstrates is that it is the striving for perfection, rather        than the claiming of it that produces quality.    -   I realized that all I could do was focus on the next move.    -   it comes down to this.    -   this latest tally of the world's finest accommodations        demonstrates that it is the striving for perfection, rather than        the claiming of it that produces quality.    -   I realized that all I could do was focus on the next move.    -   It comes down to this.    -   This latest tally of the world's finest accommodations        demonstrates that it is the striving for perfection, rather than        the claiming of it that produces quality.    -   I realized that all I could do was focus on the next move.    -   It comes down to this.    -   This latest tally of the world's finest accommodations        demonstrates that it is the striving for perfection, rather than        the claiming of it that produces quality.    -   I realized that all I could do was focus on the next move.    -   It comes down to this.    -   This latest tally of the world's finest accommodations        demonstrates that the striving for perfection, rather than the        claiming of it produces quality.

F. “[W]hat”-Noun Unit-“to be” Verb

This rule can be implemented in connection with other rules that searchfor “what.” Thus, the term “what” can be considered a sign for thisrule. This rule can begin at the step numbered, “28” below, after otherrules have been considered and rejected or considered and applied. Thus,other steps can be pre-cursor steps to this rule, (e.g. 1-2, 3-19,25-26) in some embodiments, as indicated. Throughout this specification,where a step includes the following: “[referring to the question posedin Step #],” the listed sub-rule can provide alternative logic for aquery in the noted step (Step #) that was answered differently whenpreviously treated. Thus, if a query is posed in Step 2 and answered“yes” in Step 3, Steps 4-9 may all be based on the assumption that theanswer to the question in Step 2 was yes. Later steps, e.g., Step 10 etseq., may treat the alternative answer, e.g., where the answer to thequestion posed in Step 2 is “no.” Where a step includes the following:“[referring to Step ##],” the listed sub-rule can provide further stepsthat can be performed as alternative or additional steps to the notedstep (Step ##), but can in some embodiments replace that step. Thus, ifin Step 1 a system searches for a sign, (e.g., the term “what”), Step 2may include a query based on that sign, and Step 28 may also include aquery based on that same sign. Moreover, steps may be listed inparenthetical format (e.g., (1), (2), instead of 1., 2.). When this isthe case, the steps may be included in a list not because they new to aparticular rule being described, but instead to provide context for thatrule and reminder of one or more preceding steps of logic upon which asub-rule may be based.

(1) System searches for “[W]hat”

(2) is “[W]hat” followed by a verb unit?

3. if yes, is verb unit followed by a “to be” verb?

10. [referring to the question posed in Step 2] if no, is “[W]hat”followed by a noun or pronoun?

11. if yes, is noun or pronoun followed by a verb unit?

12. if yes, is verb unit followed by infinitive “to do”?

13. if yes, is infinitive “to do” followed by “to be” verb?

18. [referring to the question posed in Step 12] if no, is verb unit a“to do” verb?

19. if yes, is “to do” verb followed by “to be” verb?

25. [referring to the question posed in Step 18] if no, is verb unitfollowed by a “to be” verb?

26. if yes, system deletes “[W]hat” and “to be” verb

28. [referring to Step 2] is “[W]hat” followed by a noun unit (only-nopronoun)?

29. [referring the question posed in to Step 25] if no, is verb unit a“to be” verb?

30. if yes, system deletes “[W]hat” and “to be” verb

31. System capitalizes

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “what” anddetermines if the word “what” is followed by a verb unit. If the word“what” is not followed by a verb unit, then the system determines if theword “what” is followed by a noun or a pronoun. If it is, then thesystem determines if the noun or pronoun is followed by a verb unit. Ifthe noun or pronoun is followed by a verb unit, then the systemdetermines if the verb unit is followed by the infinitive “to do.” Ifthe verb unit is not followed by the infinitive “to do,” then the systemdetermines if the verb unit is a “to do” verb. If the verb unit is not a“to do” verb, then the system determines if the verb unit is followed bya “to be” verb. If the verb unit is not followed by a “to be” verb, thenthe system determines if the verb unit is a “to be” verb. If the verbunit is a “to be” verb, then the system deletes the word “what” and the“to be” verb. At this juncture, the system recapitalizes as appropriate.The “[W]hat”-noun unit-“to be” verb rule is illustrated in Example 42below.

Example 42

-   -   Ultimately, you are trying to find what the story's going to be.    -   We can be sure that the author of every great screenplay        imagined what the effect of settings, costume, and music would        be.    -   I just wanted you to know what the possibilities are.    -   These are all legitimate reasons to do a movie—as long as you're        honest with yourself about what the reasons are.    -   Ultimately, you are trying to find what the story's going to be.    -   We can be sure that the author of every great screenplay        imagined what the effect of settings, costume, and music would        be.    -   I just wanted you to know what the possibilities are.    -   These are all legitimate reasons to do a movie—as long as you're        honest with yourself about what the reasons are.    -   Ultimately, you are trying to find what the story's going to be.    -   We can be sure that the author of every great screenplay        imagined what the effect of settings, costume, and music would        be.    -   I just wanted you to know what the possibilities are.    -   These are all legitimate reasons to do a movie—as long as you're        honest with yourself about what the reasons are.    -   Ultimately, you are trying to find the story.    -   We can be sure that the author of every great screenplay        imagined the effect of settings, costume, and music.    -   I just wanted you to know the possibilities.    -   These are all legitimate reasons to do a movie—as long as you're        honest with yourself about the reasons.    -   Ultimately, you are trying to find the story.    -   We can be sure that the author of every great screenplay        imagined the effect of settings, costume, and music.    -   I just wanted you to know the possibilities.    -   These are all legitimate reasons to do a movie—as long as you're        honest with yourself about the reasons.

G. “[W]hat”-Noun or Pronoun-No “to be” Verb=FALSE POSITIVE

This rule can be implemented in connection with other rules that searchfor “what.” Thus, the term “what” can be considered a sign for thisrule. This rule can begin at the step numbered, “32” below, after otherrules have been considered and rejected or considered and applied. Thus,other steps can be pre-cursor steps to this rule, (e.g. 1-2, 3, 10-13,18-19, 25-26, 29-30) in some embodiments, as indicated.

(1) System searches for “[W]hat”

(2) is “[W]hat” followed by a verb unit?

3. if yes, is verb unit followed by a “to be” verb?

10. [referring to the question posed in Step 2] if no, is “[W]hat”followed by a noun or pronoun?

11. if yes, is noun or pronoun followed by a verb unit?

12. if yes, is verb unit followed by infinitive “to do”?

13. if yes, is infinitive “to do” followed by “to be” verb?

18. [referring to the question posed in Step 12] if no, is verb unit a“to do” verb?

19. if yes, is “to do” verb followed by “to be” verb?

25. [referring to the question posed in Step 18] if no, is verb unitfollowed by a “to be” verb?

26. if yes, system deletes “[W]hat” and “to be” verb

29. [referring to the question posed in Step 25] if no, is verb unit a“to be” verb?

30. if yes, system deletes “[W]hat” and “to be” verb

32. [referring to the question posed in Step 29] if no, system ignoresas FALSE POSITIVE

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “what” anddetermines if the word “what” is followed by a verb unit. If the word“what” is not followed by a verb unit, then the system determines if theword “what” is followed by a noun or pronoun. If the word “what” isfollowed by a noun or pronoun, the system determines if the noun orpronoun is followed by a verb unit. If a verb unit does follow the nounor pronoun, then the system determines if the verb unit is then followedby the infinitive “to do.”

If the verb unit is not followed by the infinitive “to do,” then thesystem determines if the verb unit is a “to do” verb. If the verb unitis not a “to do” verb, then the system determines if the verb unit isfollowed by a “to be” verb. If, however, the verb unit is not followedby a “to be” verb, then the system determines if the verb unit is a “tobe” verb. If the verb unit is not a “to be” verb, then the systemignores the phrase as a FALSE POSITIVE. The “[W]hat”-noun or pronoun-no“to be” verb=FALSE POSITIVE rule is illustrated in Example 43 below.

Example 43

-   -   There's actually nothing wrong with what these tough,        self-interested types in foreign policy have been saying,        because what they have been saying is that it is completely        within our national interest to be helping in these        circumstances.    -   There's actually nothing wrong with what these tough,        self-interested types in foreign policy have been saying,        because what they have been saying is that it is completely        within our national interest to be helping in these        circumstances.    -   There's actually nothing wrong with what these tough,        self-interested types in foreign policy have been saying,        because what they have been saying is that it is completely        within our national interest to be helping in these        circumstances.    -   There's actually nothing wrong with what these tough,        self-interested types in foreign policy have been saying,        because they have been saying is that it is completely within        our national interest to be helping in these circumstances.    -   There's actually nothing wrong with what these tough,        self-interested types in foreign policy have been saying,        because they have been saying it is completely within our        national interest to be helping in these circumstances.

VIII. That Rule

As described above, the word “that” can play a role with the primarysigns “it” “there” and “what.” However, the word “that” can also be usedas a primary sign to identify other problems. In some embodiments, thedifference here is that “that” might be the last word in a series to bedeleted, but the system can locate the word as a first step. After thesystem uses “that” to spot problems involving other words, it examinesthe remaining occurrences of “that” to see which ones can be deleted.Some have to stay; some can always be deleted; for a few, the systempreferably requests input from a user before determining a proposededit.

In some embodiments, the false positive and true positive Sub Rules10-13 are combined and put at the beginning of the sequence.

In some embodiments, a “that rule” can include fourteen sub-rules: A)“what/who”-“it”-“to be” verb-“that”; B) “the reason”-“______ to be”verb-“that”; C) “[T]his/[T]hese”-“to be” verb-“that/who”; D) “to be”verb-“one”-“that/who”-verb; E) noun unit-“that/who”-“to have”verb-“______ to be”-past participle; F) noun unit-“that/who”-“to be”verb-infinitive; G) “that/who”-“to be” verb; H) “that which”; I) “that”in first seven words of sentence; J) “that/who”-verb unit (not including“to be” verb)=FALSE POSITIVE; K) “that”-“because” “for” “since” “as”“inasmuch”=FALSE POSITIVE; L) preposition-“that”=FALSE POSITIVE; M)“that/who/whom”-pronoun-TRUE POSITIVE; N) “that/who/whom”—noun. Each ofthese rules is discussed further below:

A. “What/Who”-“it”-“to be” Verb-“that”

This Rule includes seven sub-rules: 1. System searches for “that”; 2. Isword immediately preceding “that” a “to be” verb?; 3. if yes, is “to be”verb preceded immediately by “it”?; 4. if yes, is “it” precededimmediately by “what/who”?; 5. if yes, system deletes “it”, “to be”verb, and “that”; 6. System capitalizes.

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “that” anddetermines if the word immediately preceding the word “that” is a “tobe” verb. If the word immediately preceding the word “that” is a “to be”verb, then the system determines if the “to be” verb is immediatelypreceded by the word “it.” If the “to be” verb is preceded immediatelyby the word “it,” then the system determines if the word “it” ispreceded immediately by the word “what” or the word “who.” If the word“it” is preceded immediately by either the word “what” or the word“who,” then the system deletes the word “it,” the “to be” verb and theword “that.” At this juncture, the system can recapitalize asappropriate. The “what/who”-“it”-“to be” verb-“that” rule is illustratedin Example 44 below.

Example 44

-   -   I don't remember what it was that got me and my beloved book        back together.    -   I don't remember what it was that got me and my beloved book        back together.    -   I don't remember what got me and my beloved book back together.    -   I don't remember what got me and my beloved book back together.

B. “the Reason”-“______to be” Verb-“that”

This rule has sub-rules, numbered consecutively with the sub-rules forthe previous rule, beginning with seven: 7. [referring to the questionposed in Step 3] if no, does phrase “[T]he reason” appear in the tenwords preceding the “to be” verb”?; 8. If yes, system deletes “[T]hereason”, the “to be” verb, and “that”; 9. System places “because” where“that” was.

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “that” anddetermines if the word immediately preceding the word “that” is a “tobe” verb. If it is, then the system determines if the “to be” verb ispreceded immediately by the word “it.” If the “to be” verb is notpreceded immediately by the word “it,” then the system determines if thephrase “the reason” appears in the ten words preceding the “to be” verb.If the phrase “the reason” appears within the ten words prior to the “tobe” verb, then the system deletes the phrase “the reason,” the “to be”verb and the word “that.” At this juncture, the system places the word“because” in the place where the word “that” was prior to being deleted.The “the reason”-______“to be” verb-“that” rule is illustrated inExample 45 below.

Example 45

-   -   The reason I was there is that Banksy donated one of his works        to this museum.    -   The reason I was there is that Banksy donated one of his works        to this museum.    -   The reason I was there is that Banksy donated one of his works        to this museum.    -   I was there Banksy donated one of his works to this museum.    -   I was there because Banksy donated one of his works to this        museum.

C. “[T]his/[T]hese”-“to be” Verb-“that/Who”

This rule has sub-rules, numbered consecutively with the sub-rules forthe previous rule, beginning with ten: 10. [referring to the questionposed in Step 2] if no, does “to be” verb appear anywhere before“that/who”?; 11. if yes, is “to be” verb preceded by “[T]his/[T]hese”;12. If yes, system keeps “[T]his/[T]hese”, deletes the “to be” verb, ifpresent deletes the article following the “to be” verb, and “that/who”.

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “that” anddetermines if the word immediately preceding the word “that” is a “tobe” verb. If the word immediately preceding “that” is not a “to be”verb, then the system determines if a “to be” verb appears anywherebefore the words “that” or “who.” If a “to be” verb does appearsomewhere before the word “that” or the word “who,” then the systemdetermines if the “to be” verb is preceded by the word “this” or theword “these.” If the “to be” verb is preceded by either the word “this”or the word “these,” then the system keeps the word “this” or the word“these,” deletes the “to be” verb, deletes the article following the “tobe” verb, and deletes the word “that” or the word “who.” The“[T]his/[T]hese”-“to be” verb-“that/who” rule is illustrated in Example46 below.

Example 46

These are diet and lifestyle changes that make you feel good.

This is a diet and lifestyle change that makes you feel good.

These are diet and lifestyle changes that make you feel good.

This is a diet and lifestyle change that makes you feel good.

These are diet and lifestyle changes that make you feel good.

This is a diet and lifestyle change that makes you feel good.

These diet and lifestyle changes that make you feel good.

This a diet and lifestyle change that makes you feel good.

These diet and lifestyle changes that make you feel good.

This diet and lifestyle change that makes you feel good.

These diet and lifestyle changes make you feel good.

This diet and lifestyle change makes you feel good.

D. “to be” Verb-“One”-“that/Who”-Verb

This rule has sub-rules, numbered consecutively with the sub-rules forthe previous rule, beginning with thirteen: 13. [referring to thequestion posed in Step 11] if no, is word immediately preceding“that/who” “one”?; 14. if yes, is word immediately following “that” averb?; 15. if no, system ignores; 16. if yes, system deletes “to be”verb (but not “to” if infinitive), “one”, and “that”; 17. is wordimmediately preceding “to be” verb a verb?; 18. if yes, system convertsverb following “that” to infinitive form; 19. system capitalizes.

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “that” anddetermines if the word immediately preceding the word “that” is a “tobe” verb. If it is not a “to be” verb, then the system determines if a“to be” verb appears anywhere before the word “that” or the word “who.”If it does, then the system determines if the “to be” verb is precededby the word “this” or the word “these.” If the “to be” verb is notpreceded by the word “this” or the word “these,” then the systemdetermines if the word immediately preceding the word “that” or the word“who” is the word “one” (or any of the following derivatives of “one”:“ones,” “the one,” or “the ones”). If any of these words immediatelyprecede the word “that” or the word “who,” then the system determines ifthe word immediately following the word “that” is a verb. If the wordimmediately following the word “that” is not a verb, then the systemignores the sentence. If, however, the word “that” is immediatelyfollowed by a verb, then the system deletes the “to be” verb (but notthe word “to” if the verb is an infinitive), the word “one” and the word“that.” At this juncture, the system determines if the word immediatelypreceding the “to be” verb is a verb. If the word immediately precedingthe “to be” verb is a verb, then the system converts the verb followingthe word “that” to the infinitive form. The system will thenrecapitalize as appropriate. The “to be” verb-“one”-“that/who”-verb ruleis illustrated below in Example 47.

Examples 47

-   -   The internet model is one that offers search, email, calendar,        contacts and even word processing as services accessible        remotely.    -   While to friend has become a frivolous verb, to bond might prove        to be one that Americans are taking, if anything, more to heart        than ever.    -   The recent upturn in housing starts appears to be one that        satisfies a lot of prognosticators.    -   The internet model is one that offers search, email, calendar,        contacts and even word processing as services accessible        remotely.    -   While to friend has become a frivolous verb, to bond might prove        to be one that Americans are taking, if anything, more to heart        than ever.    -   The recent upturn in housing starts appears to be one that        satisfies a lot of prognosticators.    -   The internet model is one that offers search, email, calendar,        contacts and even word processing as services accessible        remotely.    -   While to friend has become a frivolous verb, to bond might prove        to be one that Americans are taking, if anything, more to heart        than ever.    -   The recent upturn in housing starts appears to be one that        satisfies a lot of prognosticators.    -   The internet model is one that offers search, email, calendar,        contacts and even word processing as services accessible        remotely.    -   While to friend has become a frivolous verb, to bond might prove        to be one that Americans are taking, if anything, more to heart        than ever.    -   The recent upturn in housing starts appears to be one that        satisfies a lot of prognosticators.    -   The internet model is one that offers search, email, calendar,        contacts and even word processing as services accessible        remotely.    -   While to friend has become a frivolous verb, to bond might prove        to be one that Americans are taking, if anything, more to heart        than ever.    -   The recent upturn in housing starts appears to be one that        satisfies a lot of prognosticators.    -   The internet model offers search, email, calendar, contacts and        even word processing as services accessible remotely.    -   While to friend has become a frivolous verb, to bond might prove        to be one that Americans are taking, if anything, more to heart        than ever.    -   The recent upturn in housing starts appears to satisfies a lot        of prognosticators.    -   The internet model offers search, email, calendar, contacts and        even word processing as services accessible remotely.    -   While to friend has become a frivolous verb, to bond might prove        to be one that Americans are taking, if anything, more to heart        than ever.    -   The recent upturn in housing starts appears to satisfies a lot        of prognosticators.    -   The internet model offers search, email, calendar, contacts and        even word processing as services accessible remotely.    -   While to friend has become a frivolous verb, to bond might prove        to be one that Americans are taking, if anything, more to heart        than ever.    -   The recent upturn in housing starts appears to satisfy a lot of        prognosticators.    -   The internet model offers search, email, calendar, contacts and        even word processing as services accessible remotely.    -   While to friend has become a frivolous verb, to bond might prove        to be one that Americans are taking, if anything, more to heart        than ever.    -   The recent upturn in housing starts appears to satisfy a lot of        prognosticators.

E. Noun Unit-“that/Who”-“to have” Verb-“______ to be”-Past Participle

This rule has sub-rules, numbered consecutively with the sub rules forthe previous rule, beginning with twenty: 20. [referring to the questionposed in Step 10] if no, is “that/who” immediately preceded by a noununit?; 21. if yes, is “that/who” immediately followed by a “to have”verb?; 22. if yes, do next seven words include infinitive “to be”,followed immediately by a past participle?; 23. if yes, system deletesall words from “that/who” through “to be”; 24. System capitalizes.

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “that” anddetermines if the word immediately preceding the word “that” is a “tobe” verb. If the word immediately preceding the “that” is not a “to be”verb, then the system determines if a “to be” verb appears anywherebefore the word “that” or the word “who.” If a “to be” verb does notappear anywhere before the word “that” or the word “who,” then thesystem determines if the word “that” or the word “who” is immediatelypreceded by a noun unit. If the word “that” or the word “who” isimmediately preceded by a noun unit, then the system determines if theword “that” or the word “who” is immediately followed by a “to have”verb. If the word “that” or the word “who” is immediately followed by a“to have” verb, then the system determines if the next seven wordsinclude the infinitive “to be,” followed immediately by a pastparticiple. If the next seven words include the infinitive “to be,”followed immediately by a past participle, then the system deletes allwords from the word “that” or the word “who” through the “to be”infinitive. At this juncture, the system recapitalizes as appropriate.The noun unit-“that/who”-“to have” verb-“______ to be”-past participlerule is illustrated in Example 48 below.

Example 48

-   -   “Before these whirlwinds come on there appears a heavy cloud to        the northeast which is very black near the horizon,” reported        Dampier, describing the wall of cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds        that has since come to be referred to as the “bar” of a tropical        cyclone.    -   “Before these whirlwinds come on there appears a heavy cloud to        the northeast which is very black near the horizon,” reported        Dampier, describing the wall of cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds        that has since come to be referred to as the “bar” of a tropical        cyclone.    -   “Before these whirlwinds come on there appears a heavy cloud to        the northeast which is very black near the horizon,” reported        Dampier, describing the wall of cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds        that has since come to be referred to as the “bar” of a tropical        cyclone.    -   “Before these whirlwinds come on there appears a heavy cloud to        the northeast which is very black near the horizon,” reported        Dampier, describing the wall of cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds        that has since come to be referred to as the “bar” of a tropical        cyclone.    -   “Before these whirlwinds come on there appears a heavy cloud to        the northeast which is very black near the horizon,” reported        Dampier, describing the wall of cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds        referred to as the “bar” of a tropical cyclone.    -   “Before these whirlwinds come on there appears a heavy cloud to        the northeast which is very black near the horizon,” reported        Dampier, describing the wall of cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds        referred to as the “bar” of a tropical cyclone.

F. Noun Unit-“that/Who”-“to be” Verb—Infinitive

This rule has sub-rules, numbered consecutively with the sub-rules forthe previous rule, beginning with twenty-five: 25. [referring to thequestion posed in Step 21] if no, is “that/who” immediately followed bya “to be” verb?; 26. if yes, is “to be” verb followed immediately by aninfinitive?; 27. if yes, system deletes “to be” verb and “to”; 28. verbfollowing “that/who” must match former “to be” verb in tense and number29. System capitalizes.

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “that” anddetermines if the word immediately preceding the word “that” is a “tobe” verb. If the word immediately preceding the word “that” is not a “tobe” verb, then the system determines if a “to be” verb appears anywherebefore the word “that” or the word “who.” If a “to be” verb does notappear anywhere before the word “that” or the word “who,” then thesystem determines if the word “that” or the word “who” is immediatelypreceded by a noun unit.

If the word “that” or the word “who” is immediately preceded by a noununit, the system determines if the word “that” or the word “who” isimmediately followed by a “to have” verb. If the word “that” or the word“who” is not immediately followed by a “to have” verb, then the systemdetermines if the word “that” or the word “who” is immediately followedby a “to be” verb.

If the word “that” or the word “who” is immediately followed by a “tobe” verb, then the system determines if the “to be” verb is followedimmediately by an infinitive. If the “to be” verb is followedimmediately by an infinitive, then the system deletes the “to be” verb”and the word “to.” At this juncture, the system matches the verbfollowing the word “that” or the word “who” with the former “to be”verb, both in tense and in number. At this junction, the systemcapitalizes or recapitalizes as appropriate. The noununit-“that/who”-“to be” verb—infinitive rule is illustrated in Example49 below.

Example 49

-   -   He and his ship were, in fact, destined to employ what one        senior officer called Plage's “peculiar magic” and play an        outsized role in an impending drama that was to change the        nature of seafaring navies forever.    -   He and his ship were, in fact, destined to employ what one        senior officer called Plage's “peculiar magic” and play an        outsized role in an impending drama that was to change the        nature of seafaring navies forever.    -   He and his ship were, in fact, destined to employ what one        senior officer called Plage's “peculiar magic” and play an        outsized role in an impending drama that was to change the        nature of seafaring navies forever.    -   He and his ship were, in fact, destined to employ what one        senior officer called Plage's “peculiar magic” and play an        outsized role in an impending drama that change the nature of        seafaring navies forever.    -   He and his ship were, in fact, destined to employ what one        senior officer called Plage's “peculiar magic” and play an        outsized role in an impending drama that changed the nature of        seafaring navies forever.    -   He and his ship were, in fact, destined to employ what one        senior officer called Plage's “peculiar magic” and play an        outsized role in an impending drama that changed the nature of        seafaring navies forever.

G. “that/Who”-“to be” Verb

This rule has sub-rules, numbered consecutively with the sub-rules forthe previous rule, beginning with thirty:

30. [referring to the question posed in Step 26] if no, is “to be” verbfollowed immediately by a noun unit?; 31. if yes, system ignores; 32. ifno, is “to be” verb followed immediately by an adjective?; 33. if yes,is “that” preceded immediately by a noun?; 34. if yes, system deletes“that/who” and “to be” verb; 35. System asks User, “Which works better?”and displays both noun before adjective and adjective before noun; 36.User selects one or the other; 37. [referring to the question posed byStep 32] if no, system deletes “that/who” and “to be” verb; 38. Systemcapitalizes (other sub-rules will examine remaining “that”s).

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “that” anddetermines if the word “that” is immediately preceded by a “to be” verb.If the word immediately preceding the word “that” is not a “to be” verb,then the system determines if a “to be” verb appears anywhere before theword “that” or the word “who.”

If the “to be” verb does not appear anywhere before the word “that” orthe word “who,” then the system determines if the word “that” or theword “who” is immediately preceded by a noun unit. If the word “that” orthe word “who” is immediately preceded by a noun unit, then the systemdetermines if the word “that” or the word “who” is immediately followedby a “to have” verb. If the word “that” or the word “who” is notimmediately followed by a “to have” verb, then the system determines ifthe word “that” or the word “who” is immediately followed by a “to be”verb.

If the word “that” or the word “who” is followed immediately by a “tobe” verb, the system determines if the “to be” verb is followedimmediately by an infinitive. If the “to be” verb is not followedimmediately by an infinitive, then the system determines if the “to be”verb is followed immediately by a noun unit. If the “to be” verb is notfollowed immediately by a noun unit, then the system determines if the“to be” verb is followed immediately by an adjective.

If the “to be” verb is followed immediately by an adjective, then thesystem determines if the word “that” is preceded immediately by a noun.If the word “that” is preceded immediately by a noun, then the systemdeletes the word “that” or the word “who” and the “to be” verb. At thisjuncture, the system prompts the user: “Which works better?” Anddisplays both the noun before the adjective and the adjective before thenoun. The user will have the opportunity to select one or the other ofthe two options.

If, however, the “to be” verb is not followed immediately by anadjective, then the system deletes the word “that” or the word “who” andthe “to be” verb. At this juncture, the system will capitalize orrecapitalize as appropriate. As illustrated herein, other sub-rulesexamine any remaining “that” words. The “that/who”-“to be” verb rule isillustrated in Example 50 below.

Example 50

-   -   The famous example that Alfred Hitchcock gave concerns a bomb        that is placed under a table.    -   A lot of the time what happens is that the little impulse that        gets me started on a story leads to something that's more        interesting.    -   But that is the problem we are trying to solve.    -   The girl then pointed to the overpass that was located directly        behind me and said, “Did you see that one?”    -   This method forces you to create a paragraph of argument that is        bulletproof.    -   The famous example that Alfred Hitchcock gave concerns a bomb        that is placed under a table.    -   A lot of the time what happens is that the little impulse that        gets me started on a story leads to something that's more        interesting.    -   But that is the problem we are trying to solve.    -   The girl then pointed to the overpass that was located directly        behind me and said, “Did you see that one?”    -   This method forces you to create a paragraph of argument that is        bulletproof.    -   The famous example that Alfred Hitchcock gave concerns a bomb        that is placed under a table.    -   A lot of the time what happens is that the little impulse that        gets me started on a story leads to something that's more        interesting.    -   But that is the problem we are trying to solve.    -   The girl then pointed to the overpass that was located directly        behind me and said, “Did you see that one?”    -   This method forces you to create a paragraph of argument that is        bulletproof.    -   The famous example that Alfred Hitchcock gave concerns a bomb        that is placed under a table.    -   A lot of the time what happens is that the little impulse that        gets me started on a story leads to something that's more        interesting.    -   But that is the problem we are trying to solve.    -   The girl then pointed to the overpass that was located directly        behind me and said, “Did you see that one?”    -   This method forces you to create a paragraph of argument that is        bulletproof.    -   The famous example that Alfred Hitchcock gave concerns a bomb        that is placed under a table.    -   A lot of the time what happens is that the little impulse that        gets me started on a story leads to something that's more        interesting.    -   But that is the problem we are trying to solve.    -   The girl then pointed to the overpass that was located directly        behind me and said, “Did you see that one?”    -   This method forces you to create a paragraph of argument that is        bulletproof.    -   The famous example that Alfred Hitchcock gave concerns a bomb        that is placed under a table.    -   A lot of the time what happens is that the little impulse that        gets me started on a story leads to something that's more        interesting.    -   But that is the problem we are trying to solve.    -   The girl then pointed to the overpass that was located directly        behind me and said, “Did you see that one?”    -   This method forces you to create a paragraph of argument that is        bulletproof.    -   The famous example that Alfred Hitchcock gave concerns a bomb        that is placed under a table.    -   A lot of the time what happens is that the little impulse that        gets me started on a story leads to something more interesting.    -   But that is the problem we are trying to solve.    -   The girl then pointed to the overpass that was located directly        behind me and said, “Did you see that one?”    -   This method forces you to create a paragraph of argument        bulletproof.    -   The famous example that Alfred Hitchcock gave concerns a bomb        that is placed under a table.    -   A lot of the time what happens is that the little impulse that        gets me started on a story leads to something more interesting.        [more interesting something]    -   But that is the problem we are trying to solve.    -   The girl then pointed to the overpass that was located directly        behind me and said, “Did you see that one?”    -   This method forces you to create a paragraph of argument        bulletproof [bulletproof argument]    -   The famous example that Alfred Hitchcock gave concerns a bomb        that is placed under a table.    -   A lot of the time what happens is that the little impulse that        gets me started on a story leads to something more interesting.    -   But that is the problem we are trying to solve.    -   The girl then pointed to the overpass that was located directly        behind me and said, “Did you see that one?”    -   This method forces you to create a paragraph of bulletproof        argument.    -   The famous example that Alfred Hitchcock gave concerns a bomb        placed under a table.    -   A lot of the time what happens is that the little impulse that        gets me started on a story leads to something more interesting.    -   But that is the problem we are trying to solve.    -   The girl then pointed to the overpass located directly behind me        and said, “Did you see that one?” This method forces you to        create a paragraph of bulletproof argument.    -   The famous example that Alfred Hitchcock gave concerns a bomb        placed under a table.    -   A lot of the time what happens is that the little impulse that        gets me started on a story leads to something more interesting.    -   But that is the problem we are trying to solve.    -   The girl then pointed to the overpass located directly behind me        and said, “Did you see that one?”    -   This method forces you to create a paragraph of bulletproof        argument.

H. “that which”

This rule has sub-rules, numbered consecutively with the rules for theprevious rule, beginning with thirty nine: 39. [referring to thequestion posed in Step 25] if no, is “that” followed immediately by“which”; 40. if yes, system replaces “that which” with “what”.

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “that” anddetermines if the word “that” is immediately preceded by a “to be” verb.If the word “that” is not immediately preceded by a “to be” verb, thenthe system determines if a “to be” verb appears anywhere before the word“that” or the word “who.” If a “to be” verb does not appear anywherebefore the word “that” or the word “who,” the system determines if theword “that” or the word “who” is immediately preceded by a noun unit.

If the word “that” or the word “who” is immediately preceded by a noununit, the system determines if the word “that” or the word “who” isimmediately followed by a “to have” verb. If the word “that” or the word“who” is not immediately followed by a “to have” verb, then the systemdetermines if the word “that” or the word “who” is immediately followedby a “to be” verb.

If the word “that” or the word “who” is not immediately followed by a“to be” verb, the system determines if the word “that” is followedimmediately by the word “which.” If the word “that” is followedimmediately by the word “which,” then the system replaces the phrase“that which” with the word “what.” The “that which” rule is illustratedin Example 51 below.

Example 51

-   -   Kosco's staff, who maintained a round-the-clock weather watch on        the navigation deck of the New Jersey, realized that the        meteorological equipment on Halsey's flag ship was not that much        more efficient than that which sailors of Bowditch's era carried        on sea voyages.    -   Kosco's staff, who maintained a round-the-clock weather watch on        the navigation deck of the New Jersey, realized that the        meteorological equipment on Halsey's flag ship was not that much        more efficient than that which sailors of Bowditch's era carried        on sea voyages.    -   Kosco's staff, who maintained a round-the-clock weather watch on        the navigation deck of the New Jersey, realized that the        meteorological equipment on Halsey's flag ship was not that much        more efficient than what sailors of Bowditch's era carried on        sea voyages.

I. “that” in First Seven Words of Sentence

This rule has sub-rules, numbered consecutively with the sub-rules forthe previous rule, beginning with forty one: 41. [referring to Step 2]excluding prepositional phrases and words within commas, does the “that”appear in the first three through seven words of the sentence?; 42. ifyes, is word immediately preceding “that” a noun/pronoun?; 43. if yes,system ignores; 44. if no, system indicates or “dims” (e.g.,de-emphasizes by dimming a brightness of the words on the screen,reducing a font size, changing a color, changing a background color,leaving a blank, etc.) all words from beginning of sentence through“that” (except prepositional phrases not beginning with “of” and wordswithin commas) and asks User “Do you need these words?”; 45. if Usersays, “Yes,” the system un-dims; 46. if User says, “No,” system deletesall dimmed words; 47. System capitalizes.

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “that” and asks“Does the word ‘that’ appear in the first three through seven words ofthe sentence?” If the word “that” appears within the first three throughseven words of the sentence, then the system determines if the wordimmediately preceding the word “that” is a noun or a pronoun. If theword immediately preceding the word “that” is a noun or a pronoun, thenthe system ignores the phrase.

If the word immediately preceding the word “that” is not a noun or apronoun, then the system dims all words from the beginning of thesentence through the word “that,” excluding prepositional phrases notbeginning with the word “of” and words between commas, and asks the user“Do you need these words?” If the user says, “Yes, the words areneeded,” then the system will undim all of the previously dimmed words.If the user elects “No,” then the system deletes all of the dimmedwords. At this juncture, the system capitalizes or recapitalizes asappropriate. The “that” in first seven words of sentence rule isillustrated in Example 52 below.

Example 52

-   -   A good rule of thumb is that most handicraft stores are open to        haggling, and markets specializing in handicrafts expect it.    -   We have been aware for many years now that an update of        Churchill was long overdue.    -   I told him that it was because I think they are making him one        of this year's Best and Brightest.    -   On the other hand, we have found that many other users are        comfortable with a more analytical account of writing.    -   I will say, however, that ribbed condoms have the greatest        effect at the entrance to the vagina.    -   Kosco predicted that the storm would collide with the cold front        bearing down across Japan and rebound to the northeast.    -   A good rule of thumb is that most handicraft stores are open to        haggling, and markets specializing in handicrafts expect it.    -   We have been aware for many years now that an update of        Churchill was long overdue.    -   I told him that it was because I think they are making him one        of this year's Best and Brightest.    -   On the other hand, we have found that many other users are        comfortable with a more analytical account of writing.    -   I will say, however, that ribbed condoms have the greatest        effect at the entrance to the vagina.    -   Kosco predicted that the storm would collide with the cold front        bearing down across Japan and rebound to the northeast.    -   A good rule of thumb is that most handicraft stores are open to        haggling, and markets specializing in handicrafts expect it.    -   We have been aware for many years now that an update of        Churchill was long overdue.    -   I told him that it was because I think they are making him one        of this year's Best and Brightest.    -   On the other hand, we have found that many other users are        comfortable with a more analytical account of writing.    -   I will say, however, that ribbed condoms have the greatest        effect at the entrance to the vagina.    -   Kosco predicted that the storm would collide with the cold front        bearing down across Japan and rebound to the northeast.    -   A good rule of thumb is that most handicraft stores are open to        haggling, and markets specializing in handicrafts expect it.    -   We have been aware for many years now that an update of        Churchill was long overdue.    -   I told him that it was because I think they are making him one        of this year's Best and Brightest.    -   On the other hand, we have found that many other users are        comfortable with a more analytical account of writing.    -   I will say, however, that ribbed condoms have the greatest        effect at the entrance to the vagina.    -   Kosco predicted that the storm would collide with the cold front        bearing down across Japan and rebound to the northeast.    -   A good rule of thumb is that most handicraft stores are open to        haggling, and markets specializing in handicrafts expect it.    -   We have been aware for many years now that an update of        Churchill was long overdue.    -   I told him that it was because I think they are making him one        of this year's Best and Brightest.    -   On the other hand, we have found that many other users are        comfortable with a more analytical account of writing.    -   I will say, however, that ribbed condoms have the greatest        effect at the entrance to the vagina.    -   Kosco predicted that the storm would collide with the cold front        bearing down across Japan and rebound to the northeast.    -   most handicraft stores are open to haggling, and markets        specializing in handicrafts expect it.    -   for many years an update of Churchill was long overdue.    -   I told him that it was because I think they are making him one        of this year's Best and Brightest.    -   On the other hand many other users are comfortable with a more        analytical account of writing.    -   however, ribbed condoms have the greatest effect at the entrance        to the vagina.    -   the storm would collide with the cold front bearing down across        Japan and rebound to the northeast.    -   Most handicraft stores are open to haggling, and markets        specializing in handicrafts expect it.    -   For many years an update of Churchill was long overdue.    -   I told him that it was because I think they are making him one        of this year's Best and Brightest.    -   On the other hand many other users are comfortable with a more        analytical account of writing.    -   However, ribbed condoms have the greatest effect at the entrance        to the vagina.    -   The storm would collide with the cold front bearing down across        Japan and rebound to the northeast.

J. “that/Who”-Verb Unit (not Including “to be” Verb)=FALSE POSITIVE

This rule has sub-rules, numbered consecutively with the sub-rules forthe previous rule, beginning with forty eight: 48. [after Step 47, thesystem will examine any “that”s left by first searching for FALSEPOSITIVES]; 49. is word immediately following “that” a verb unit,including past and present participles?; 50. if yes, system ignores(another sub-rule will examine remaining “that”).

In some embodiments, after the system performs the“that”-in-the-first-seven-words-of-sentence rule, the system willexamine any “that”s left by searching for FALSE POSITIVES. For example,the system will determine if the word immediately following the word“that” is a verb unit, including past and present participles. If theword following the word “that” is a verb unit including past and presentparticiples, then the system will ignore the phrase, leaving for anothersub-rule to examine any remaining “that”s. The “that/who”-verb unit (notincluding “to be” verb)=FALSE POSITIVE rule is illustrated in Example 53below.

Example 53

-   -   Under the influence of drink and the strangeness of the night,        Blount admitted he was terrified of the fighting that almost        certainly lay before him.    -   Yahoo! took advantage of this in its new web mail software that        lets you drag and drop appointments and messages, just like a        desktop program.    -   But Cobra, as tightly coiled as a DNA helix, was maturing so        slowly that she was not yet throwing out to her periphery the        massive gusts and swells that would typically herald the arrival        of a full-blown typhoon.    -   Under the influence of drink and the strangeness of the night,        Blount admitted he was terrified of the fighting that almost        certainly lay before him.    -   Yahoo! took advantage of this in its new web mail software that        lets you drag and drop appointments and messages, just like a        desktop program.    -   But Cobra, as tightly coiled as a DNA helix, was maturing so        slowly that she was not yet throwing out to her periphery the        massive gusts and swells that would typically herald the arrival        of a full-blown typhoon.    -   Under the influence of drink and the strangeness of the night,        Blount admitted he was terrified of the fighting that almost        certainly lay before him.    -   Yahoo! took advantage of this in its new web mail software that        lets you drag and drop appointments and messages, just like a        desktop program.    -   But Cobra, as tightly coiled as a DNA helix, was maturing so        slowly that she was not yet throwing out to her periphery the        massive gusts and swells that would typically herald the arrival        of a full-blown typhoon.    -   Under the influence of drink and the strangeness of the night,        Blount admitted he was terrified of the fighting that almost        certainly lay before him.    -   Yahoo! took advantage of this in its new web mail software that        lets you drag and drop appointments and messages, just like a        desktop program.    -   But Cobra, as tightly coiled as a DNA helix, was maturing so        slowly that she was not yet throwing out to her periphery the        massive gusts and swells that would typically herald the arrival        of a full-blown typhoon.

K. “that”-“Because” “for” “Since” “as” “Inasmuch”=FALSE POSITIVE

This rule has sub-rules, numbered consecutively with the sub-rules forthe previous rule, beginning with fifty one: 51. [referring to thequestion posed in Step 49] if no, is word immediately following “that”“because”, “for”, “since”, “as”, or “inasmuch”?; 52. if yes, systemignores.

In some embodiments, after the rule has completed the“that”-in-first-seven-words-of-sentence rule, the system will examineany “that”s left by first searching for FALSE POSITIVES. The system willdetermine if the word immediately following the word “that” is a verbunit including any past or present participles. If not, then the systemdetermines if the word immediately following the word “that” is the word“that,” the word “because,” the word “for,” the word “since,” the word“as,” or the word “inasmuch.” If the word “that”, the word “because,”the word “for,” the word “since,” the word “as,” or the word “inasmuch”immediately follows the word “that,” then the system ignores the phrase.The “that”-“because” “for” “since” “as” “inasmuch”=FALSE POSITIVE ruleis illustrated in Example 54 below.

Example 54

-   -   McCrane had no way of knowing that because of the pounding the        ship was taking, the overhead in the engine room was starting to        rip loose from her bulkheads.    -   McCrane had no way of knowing that because of the pounding the        ship was taking, the overhead in the engine room was starting to        rip loose from her bulkheads.    -   McCrane had no way of knowing that because of the pounding the        ship was taking, the overhead in the engine room was starting to        rip loose from her bulkheads.

L. Preposition-“that”=FALSE POSITIVE

This rule has sub-rules, numbered consecutively with the sub-rules forthe previous rule, beginning with fifty three: 53. [referring to thequestion posed in Step 48] if no, is word immediately preceding “that” apreposition?; 54. if yes, system ignores (another sub rule will examineremaining “that”).

In some embodiments, after the system has completed the“that”-in-first-seven-words-of-sentence rule, the system will examineany “that” words left by search for FALSE POSITIVES. In someembodiments, the system will determine if the word immediately precedingthe word “that” is a preposition. If the word immediately preceding theword “that” is a preposition, the system will ignore the phrase(allowing another sub-rule to examine any remaining “that” words). Thepreposition-“that”=FALSE POSITIVE rule is illustrated in Example 55below.

Example 55

-   -   Recall that the central conceptual terms will go toward the end        of that POINT sentence.    -   At that moment I knew he could really see me.    -   In that context of skepticism toward science some reasonable        questions have been raised.    -   I wished I was out of that tree, but I dasn′t come down.    -   Recall that the central conceptual terms will go toward the end        of that POINT sentence.    -   At that moment I knew he could really see me.    -   In that context of skepticism toward science some reasonable        questions have been raised.    -   I wished I was out of that tree, but I dasn′t come down.    -   Recall that the central conceptual terms will go toward the end        of that POINT sentence.    -   At that moment I knew he could really see me.    -   In that context of skepticism toward science some reasonable        questions have been raised.    -   I wished I was out of that tree, but I dasn′t come down.

M. “that/Who/Whom”-Pronoun-TRUE POSITIVE

This rule has sub-rules, numbered consecutively with the sub-rules forthe previous rule, beginning with fifty-five: 55. [referring to thequestion posed in Step 51] if no, is word immediately following“that/who/whom” a pronoun?; 56. if yes, system deletes “that/who/whom”

In some embodiments, after the system has completed the“that”-in-first-seven-words-of-sentence rule, the system will examineany “that” left by searching for FALSE POSITIVES. In some embodiments,the system determines if the word immediately following the word“that/who/whom” is a pronoun. If the word immediately following the word“that/who/whom” is a pronoun, then the system will delete the word“that/who/whom.” The “that/who/whom”-pronoun-TRUE POSITIVE rule isillustrated in Example 56 below.

Example 56

-   -   This book is specifically for screenwriters who want to learn        how to write the most commercial, money-making “Megahit” that        they can.    -   He also concluded that the request, at this point in time, would        give him a career jump on the generation of men whom he was        certain would shortly be called up or drafted.    -   You can be certain that your readers will find your document        confusing.    -   “You can't hear,” he said, already moving his lips more        deliberately, so that she might understand.    -   One of them that I came across sold a lot of Banksy's original        art and screen prints.    -   Many feel that they owe the Sunnis nothing after years of        oppression.    -   This book is specifically for screenwriters who want to learn        how to write the most commercial, money-making “Megahit” that        they can.    -   He also concluded that the request, at this point in time, would        give him a career jump on the generation of men whom he was        certain would shortly be called up or drafted.    -   You can be certain that your readers will find your document        confusing.    -   “You can't hear,” he said, already moving his lips more        deliberately, so that she might understand.    -   One of them that I came across sold a lot of Banksy's original        art and screen prints.    -   Many feel that they owe the Sunnis nothing after years of        oppression.    -   This book is specifically for screenwriters who want to learn        how to write the most commercial, money-making “Megahit” they        can.    -   He also concluded that the request, at this point in time, would        give him a career jump on the generation of men he was certain        would shortly be called up or drafted.    -   You can be certain your readers will find your document        confusing.    -   “You can't hear,” he said, already moving his lips more        deliberately, so she might understand.    -   One of them I came across sold a lot of Banksy's original art        and screen prints.    -   Many feel they owe the Sunnis nothing after years of oppression.    -   This book is specifically for screenwriters who want to learn        how to write the most commercial, money-making “Megahit” they        can.    -   He also concluded that the request, at this point in time, would        give him a career jump on the generation of men he was certain        would shortly be called up or drafted.    -   You can be certain your readers will find your document        confusing.    -   “You can't hear,” he said, already moving his lips more        deliberately, so she might understand.    -   One of them I came across sold a lot of Banksy's original art        and screen prints.    -   Many feel they owe the Sunnis nothing after years of oppression.

N. “that/Who/Whom”—Noun

This rule has sub-rules, numbered consecutively with the sub-rules forthe previous rule, beginning with fifty-seven: 57. [referring to thequestion posed in Step 55] is/are the word(s) following “that/who/whom”a noun unit?; 58. if yes, does “that/who/whom” immediately follow acomma?; 59. if yes, system ignores; 60. Does noun unit introduce anoun-that/who-verb combination?; 61. if yes, system ignores; 62. ifneither exception above exists, system deletes “that/who/whom”; 63.System highlights two words on either side of the deleted“that/who/whom”; 64. System prompts user: “Does this sound okay to you,or do you prefer to reinsert “that/[who/whom]” between these twowords?”; 65. User responds okay or prefer original.

In some embodiments, after completing the “that/who/whom”-pronoun-TRUEPOSITIVE rule, the system determines if the words following the word“that/who/whom” is a noun unit. If the word or words following the word“that/who/whom” is a noun unit, then the system determines if the word“that/who/whom” immediately follows a comma. If the word “that/who/whom”immediately follows a comma, the system will ignore the phrase.

The system will determine at this juncture whether a noun unitintroduces a noun-that/who-verb combination. If a noun unit introduces anoun-that/who-verb combination, then the system will ignore the phrase.If the word “that/who/whom” does not follow a comma, and the word(s)following “that” is not a noun unit introducing a noun-that/who-verbcombination, then the system will dim the word “that/who/whom.” Thesystem will prompt the user: “Does this sound OK to you, or do youprefer to reinsert ‘that/who/whom’ between these two words?” The userresponds, “OK” or “Prefer original.” If the user responds “OK,” then insome embodiments the system will recapitalize as appropriate. If theuser responds, “Prefer original,” then the system will replace theprovisional sentence with the original phrasing. The“that/who/whom”—noun rule is illustrated in Example 57 below.

Example 57

-   -   An activity is anything that a character might be doing in a        scene.    -   Ajax is also the basis of a package of programs and services        that Microsoft is bundling under the catchall brand Windows        Live.    -   Dr. Lee admits that this information is confidential to        Microsoft.    -   The character's belief keeps the story alive, gives us the        needed shred of hope that the goal might still be achieved.    -   Not all readers like headings; some feel they give a crude        vocational look to writing, that good readers don't need them.    -   Second, I suspect—though this is rarely expressed openly—they        worry that anything that advocates for boys and young men must,        in some way, be antiwoman.    -   An activity is anything that a character might be doing in a        scene.    -   Ajax is also the basis of a package of programs and services        that Microsoft is bundling under the catchall brand Windows        Live.    -   Dr. Lee admits that this information is confidential to        Microsoft.    -   The character's belief keeps the story alive, gives us the        needed shred of hope that the goal might still be achieved.    -   Not all readers like headings; some feel they give a crude        vocational look to writing, that good readers don't need them.    -   Second, I suspect—though this is rarely expressed openly—they        worry that anything that advocates for boys and young men must,        in some way, be antiwoman.    -   An activity is anything that a character might be doing in a        scene.    -   Ajax is also the basis of a package of programs and services        that Microsoft is bundling under the catchall brand Windows        Live.    -   Dr. Lee admits that this information is confidential to        Microsoft.    -   The character's belief keeps the story alive, gives us the        needed shred of hope that the goal might still be achieved.    -   Not all readers like headings; some feel they give a crude        vocational look to writing that good readers don't need them.    -   Second, I suspect—though this is rarely expressed openly—they        worry that anything that advocates for boys and young men must,        in some way, be antiwoman.    -   An activity is anything that a character might be doing in a        scene.    -   Ajax is also the basis of a package of programs and services        that Microsoft is bundling under the catchall brand Windows        Live.    -   Dr. Lee admits that this information is confidential to        Microsoft.    -   The character's belief keeps the story alive, gives us the        needed shred of hope that the goal might still be achieved.    -   Not all readers like headings; some feel they give a crude        vocational look to writing, that good readers don't need them.    -   Second, I suspect—though this is rarely expressed openly—they        worry that anything that advocates for boys and young men must,        in some way, be antiwoman.    -   An activity is anything that a character might be doing in a        scene.    -   Ajax is also the basis of a package of programs and services        that Microsoft is bundling under the catchall brand Windows        Live.    -   Dr. Lee admits that this information is confidential to        Microsoft.    -   The character's belief keeps the story alive, gives us the        needed shred of hope that the goal might still be achieved.    -   Not all readers like headings; some feel they give a crude        vocational look to writing, that good readers don't need them.    -   Second, I suspect—though this is rarely expressed openly—they        worry that anything that advocates for boys and young men must,        in some way, be antiwoman.    -   An activity is anything that a character might be doing in a        scene.    -   Ajax is also the basis of a package of programs and services        that Microsoft is bundling under the catchall brand Windows        Live.    -   Dr. Lee admits that this information is confidential to        Microsoft.    -   The character's belief keeps the story alive, gives us the        needed shred of hope that the goal might still be achieved.    -   Not all readers like headings; some feel they give a crude        vocational look to writing, that good readers don't need them.    -   Second, I suspect—though this is rarely expressed openly—they        worry that anything that advocates for boys and young men must,        in some way, be antiwoman.    -   An activity is anything a character might be doing in a scene.    -   Ajax is also the basis of a package of programs and services        Microsoft is bundling under the catchall brand Windows Live.    -   Dr. Lee admits this information is confidential to Microsoft.    -   The character's belief keeps the story alive, gives us the        needed shred of hope the goal might still be achieved.    -   Not all readers like headings; some feel they give a crude        vocational look to writing, that good readers don't need them.    -   Second, I suspect—though this is rarely expressed openly—they        worry that anything that advocates for boys and young men must,        in some way, be antiwoman.    -   An activity is anything a character might be doing in a scene.    -   Ajax is also the basis of a package of programs and services        Microsoft is bundling under the catchall brand Windows Live.    -   Dr. Lee admits this information is confidential to Microsoft.    -   The character's belief keeps the story alive, gives us the        needed shred of hope the goal might still be achieved.    -   Not all readers like headings; some feel they give a crude        vocational look to writing, that good readers don't need them.    -   Second, I suspect—though this is rarely expressed openly—they        worry that anything that advocates for boys and young men must,        in some way, be antiwoman.

IX. “Of” Rule

The signpost word “of” often reveals various unnecessary words. Thefollowing rule narrows the use of the word “of”. In some instances thesystem can indicate or “dim” (e.g., de-emphasize by dimming a brightnessof the words on the screen, reducing a font size, changing a color,changing a background color, leaving a blank, etc.) the word “of,” anoun immediately before the “of,” an article immediately before thenoun, and the noun unit after the “of” At the same time, the system orcomputer implementable method would prompt the user: “Would you like toget rid of any of these words?”

A. Of: False Positives

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “of” anddetermines if the word “of” is part of a false positive. False positivesincludes those phrases found in Table 5 below. If the word “of” is partof a false positive, then the system ignores the phrase. As with allword lists and pools in this specification, all lists in Section IX arefor example only; they are not meant to be exhaustive.

TABLE 5 Example “of” phrase False Positives advantage of package of allof [noun] part of of all percentage of basis of portion of [capitalizedword] of range of charge of rate of edition of rest of example of rid ofgrowth of some of lack of standard(s) of list of survey of many of taleof meaning of the     of the     number of time of use of [time noun] ofvariety of tip of [infinitive] - of

First, the system searches for the word “of” and determines if the word“of” is part of a false positive. If the word “of” is part of a falsepositive, then the system will ignore the phrase. If, however, the word“of” is not part of a false positive, the system determines if the word“of” is part of a true positive (see below). True positives areillustrated in Table 6 below. If the word “of” is part of a truepositive, the system determines if the true positive is preceded by anadjective. If the true positive is not preceded by an adjective, thenthe system deletes the phrase. These steps can be summarized thus:

-   -   1. System searches for “of”    -   2. is “of” part of a false positive?    -   3. if yes, System ignores

B. Of: True Positives

True positives are illustrated in Table 6 below. If the word “of” ispart of a true positive, the system determines if the true positive ispreceded by an adjective. If the true positive is not preceded by anadjective, then the system deletes the phrase. These steps can besummarized thus:

-   -   4. [referring to the question posed in Step 2] if no, is “of”        part of a true positive?    -   5. if yes, is true positive preceded by an adjective?    -   6. [referring to the question posed in Step 4] if no, System        deletes

TABLE 6 Example “of” phrase True Positives (preposition) any of delete“any of” act of delete “the [an] act of” all of [pronoun] delete “allof” amount of any of [pronoun] delete “of” and pronoun area(s) of delete“the area(s) of” bit of delete “bit of” center of [pronoun] course ofdelete “the     course of” difference of [“minus “subtracted from“within six words-delete “the difference of”] “the”     noun of eachdelete “of each”, change “the” to “their” existence of delete “theexistence of” free of charge delete “of charge” in and of itself delete“and of” kind of delete “kind of” many of [objective pronoun] delete“of” and pronoun nature of delete “the nature of” of necessity delete“of necessity” period of delete “(article) (adjective) period of” of thesituation set of delete “set of” sum of [“plus” “added to” delete “thesum of” within six words] terms of delete “the terms of” of them delete“of them”

C. Of: “Amount of”

-   -   7. [referring to the question posed in Step 4] if yes, is true        positive “amount of”?    -   8. if no, System ignores as a false positive    -   9. [referring to the question posed in Step 7] if yes, is        adjective preceded by “a”?    -   10. if no, System deletes “amount of”    -   11. [referring to the question posed in Step 9] if yes, System        deletes “of” and the noun unit following “of”

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “of” anddetermines if the word “of” is part of a false positive. If the word“of” is part of a false positive, then the system ignores the phrase. Ifthe word “of” is not part of a false positive, then the systemdetermines if the word “of” is part of a true positive. If the word “of”is part of a true positive, then the system determines if the truepositive is preceded by an adjective. If the true positive is notpreceded by an adjective, then the system deletes the phrase. If,however, the true positive is preceded by an adjective, then the systemdetermines if the true positive is the phrase “amount of.”

If the true positive is not the phrase “amount of,” then the systemignores the phrase as a false positive. If the true positive is thephrase “amount of,” then the system determines if the adjective ispreceded by the article “a.” If the adjective is not preceded by theword “a,” then the system deletes the phrase “amount of” If theadjective is preceded by the article “a,” then the system deletes theword “of” and the noun unit following the word “of.” The “amount of”rule is illustrated in Example 58 below

Example 58

-   -   Stevens Healthcare, a leading medical services provider in        Washington State, says that using SharePoint Portal Server has        reduced by 75 percent the amount of time needed for meetings to        comply with new federal privacy regulations.    -   So while our user base continues to grow steadily, the average        amount of time users are spending with us outpaced growth of        time spent in the industry.    -   This is a tiny amount of our income that could save millions of        people and make a safer world.    -   Stevens Healthcare, a leading medical services provider in        Washington State, says that using SharePoint Portal Server has        reduced by 75 percent the time needed for meetings to comply        with new federal privacy regulations.    -   So while our user base continues to grow steadily, the average        time users are spending with us outpaced growth of time spent in        the industry.    -   This is a tiny amount that could save millions of people and        make a safer world.

D. Of: “[E]very”-“One”-“of”-“the” or Possessive Pronoun-Plural Noun Unit

-   -   12. [referring to the question posed in Step 4] if no, is “of”        immediately preceded by the number “one”?    -   13. if yes, is “one” preceded by “[E]very” “[E]very single” or        “[E]very last”    -   14. if no, system ignores    -   15. if yes, is “of” followed by “the” “my” “your” “his” “her”        “its” “our” “their”?    -   16. if yes, is that word followed by a plural noun?    -   17. if yes, system deletes “single” “one” “of” and “the” or        possessive pronoun    -   18. system converts noun to singular form

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “of” anddetermines if the word “of” is part of a false positive. If the word“of” is not part of a false positive, then the system determines if theword “of” is part of a true positive. If the word “of” is not part of atrue positive, then the system determines if the word “of” isimmediately preceded by the number “one.”

If the word “of” is immediately preceded by a number “one,” then thesystem determines if the word “one” is preceded by the word “every,” thephrase “every single,” or the phrase “every last.” If the word “one” isnot preceded by the word “every,” the phrase “every single,” or thephrase, “every last,” then the system ignores the phrase. If, however,the system is preceded by the word “every,” the phrase “every single,”or the phrase “every last,” then the system determines if the word “of”is followed by any of the words “the,” “my,” “your,” “his,” “her,”“its,” “our,” or “their.” If the word “of” is followed by any of thewords “the,” “my,” “your,” “his,” “her,” “its,” “our,” or “their,” thenthe system determines if that word is followed by a plural noun. If itis, then the system deletes the word “single,” the word “one,” the word“of,” and the word “the” or the possessive pronoun. At this juncture,the system converts the noun to a singular form. The“[E]very”-“one”-“of”-“the” or possessive pronoun-plural noun unit ruleis illustrated in Example 59 below.

Example 59

-   -   Many of the advances in Office System will be obvious to users,        but one of the most profound changes isn't as apparent.    -   Our high standards of quality and commitment to provide the best        experience for our users permeated every one of our offerings.    -   Every single one of the ships battling Kurita suffered        devastating hits, over 1,000 sailors were killed, and an escort        carrier, two destroyers, and one destroyer escort sent to the        bottom of the Philippine Sea.    -   Many of the advances in Office System will be obvious to users,        but one of the most profound changes isn't as apparent.    -   Our high standards of quality and commitment to provide the best        experience for our users permeated every offering.    -   Every ship battling Kurita suffered devastating hits, over 1,000        sailors were killed, and an escort carrier, two destroyers, and        one destroyer escort sent to the bottom of the Philippine Sea.

C. [Number] “of”-Noun Unit

-   -   19. [referring to the question posed in Step 12] if no, is “of”        immediately preceded by any other number or plural of any        number, written or numerical (four of, thousands of, 22 of)?    -   20. if yes, system ignores

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “of” anddetermines if the word “of” is part of a false positive. If it is not,then the system determines if the word “of” is part of a true positive.If the word “of” is not part of a true positive, then the systemdetermines if the word “of” is immediately preceded by the number “one.”If the word “of” is not immediately preceded by the number “one,” thenthe system determines if the word “of” is immediately preceded by anyother number or plural of any number, either written or numerical (e.g.,“four of,” “thousands of,” or “22 of”). If the word “of” is immediatelypreceded by any other number or plural of any number, either written ornumerical, then the system ignores the phrase. The [number] “of”-noununit rule is illustrated in Example 60 below.

Example 60

-   -   Rescue efforts saved thousands of animals that were later moved        from the Gulf Coast to other areas, including the Animal Shelter        of the Wood River Valley, near Hailey.    -   This is a tiny amount of our income that could save millions of        people and make a safer world.

D. Verb-Article-Adjective-Noun-“of”-Noun Unit

21. [referring to the question posed in Step 19], if no, is “of”immediately followed by a noun unit?

22. if yes, is “of” immediately preceded by a noun?

23. if yes, is noun immediately preceded by an adjective?

24. if yes, is adjective immediately preceded by an article?

25. if yes, is article immediately preceded by a verb?

26. if yes, system deletes article, noun, and “of”

In some embodiments, the system searches for the word “of” anddetermines if the word “of” is part of a false positive. If the word“of” is not part of a false positive, then the system determines if theword “of” is part of a true positive. If the word “of” is not part of atrue positive, then the system determines if the word “of” isimmediately preceded by the number “one.” If the word “of” is notimmediately preceded by the number “one,” then the system determines ifthe word “of” is immediately preceded by any other number or plural ofany number, either written or numerical. If the word “of” is notimmediately preceded by any other numerical number or plural of anynumber, either written or numerical, then the system determines if theword “of” is immediately followed by a noun unit.

If the word “of” is immediately followed by a noun unit, then the systemdetermines if the word “of” is immediately preceded by a noun. If theword “of” is immediately preceded by a noun, the system determines ifthe noun is immediately preceded by an adjective. If the noun isimmediately preceded by an adjective, the system determines if theadjective is immediately preceded by an article. If the adjective isimmediately preceded by an article, the system determines if the articleis immediately preceded by a verb. If the article is immediatelypreceded by the verb, the system deletes the article, the noun and theword “of” The verb-article-adjective-noun-“of”-noun unit rule isillustrated in Example 61 below.

Example 61

-   -   All of these changes are giving people new and better ways to        work, but they also bring a new set of challenges.    -   The software innovations of the 1980s and 1990s, which        revolutionized how we create and manipulate information, have        created a new set of challenges.    -   All of these changes are giving people new and better ways to        work, but they also bring new challenges.    -   The software innovations of the 1980s and 1990s, which        revolutionized how we create and manipulate information, have        created new challenges.        X. “Purpose of” Rule

A. “[T]he Purpose[s] of”-Noun Unit-“to be” Verb-Infinitive

1. system searches for “[T]he purpose[s] of”

2. is “[T]he purpose[s] of” followed by a noun unit?

3. if yes, is the noun unit followed by a “to be” verb?

4. if yes, is the “to be” verb followed by an infinitive?

5. if yes, system deletes “[T]he purpose[s] of”, “to be” verb, and “to”

6. system matches number of verb to noun unit

7. system capitalizes

In some embodiments, the system searches for the phrase “the purpose of”or “the purposes of.” If the system finds the phrase “the purpose of” orthe phrase “the purposes of,” the system determines if the phrase isfollowed by a noun unit. If the phrase is followed by a noun unit, thesystem determines if the noun unit is followed by a “to be” verb. If thenoun unit is followed by a “to be” verb, then the system determines ifthe “to be” verb is followed by an infinitive. If the “to be” verb isfollowed by an infinitive, the system deletes the phrase “the purposeof” (or “the purposes of”), the “to be” verb and the word “to.” At thisjuncture, the system matches the number of the verb to the noun unit andeither capitalizes or recapitalizes as appropriate. The “[T]hepurpose[s] of”-noun unit-“to be” verb-infinitive rule is illustrated inExample 62 below.

Example 62

-   -   The purpose of this document is to explain the difference        between an IRA and a Roth IRA.    -   The purpose of this document is to explain the difference        between an IRA and a Roth IRA.    -   The purpose of this document is to explain the difference        between an IRA and a Roth IRA.    -   The purpose of this document is to explain the difference        between an IRA and a Roth IRA.    -   The purpose of this document is [to explain] the difference        between an IRA and a Roth IRA.    -   this document [explain] the difference between an IRA and a Roth        IRA.    -   this document [explains] the difference between an IRA and a        Roth IRA.    -   This document explains the difference between an IRA and a Roth        IRA.

XI. In Rule

In some embodiments, a system can search for the word “in” as a signalto trigger this rule. If any of the following idiomatic phrases arefound, the system ignores that occurrence of the term “in” as a falsepositive: in detail; in love; in the meantime; (verb) in; in mind; inthe world; in vain; in heat; etc. (This is only a partial list that hasbeen included as an example; it is not intended to be an exhaustivelist.) On the other hand, if any of the following phrases are found, thesystem replaces them (or suggests that the user replace them) asindicated (and this, too, is only a partial list). Indeed, as with allword lists and pools in this specification, all lists in Section XI arefor example only; they are not meant to be exhaustive.

True Positive Replacement in accordance with under in advance of beforein the amount of for in the     amount of for in concert with with inconsidering considering in the context of under in the course of duringin the direction of toward in excess of exceeding in the employ ofemployed by in the event if in the event that if in the form of by inhopes of hoping to in light of because in light of the fact because inlight of the fact that because in the majority of     usually in asituation where where in the situation where where

If any of the following phrases are found, the system deletes them (orsuggests that the user delete them, as with the “junk words” describedabove): in addition; (or) in the alternative; in an attempt; in itsbrief; in any case; in color; in conclusion; in duration; in earnest; ineffect; in an effort; in the end; in essence; in fact; in the firstinstance; in the first place; in the future; in the matter; in otherwords; in particular; in pertinent part; in point of fact; in price; inthe process of; in the present case; in relevant part; in short; insignificant part; in size; in some way; in sum; in that moment; in thisaction; in time.

If any of the following phrases are found, the system prompts the user:“You might delete this phrase or replace it with something shorter.” ora similar phrase: in accord; in addition to; in advance; in this aspect;in attendance; in its capacity; in this case; in this cause; in thesecircumstances; in connection with; in its entirety in no event; in theform of; in this instance; in length; in this matter; in her mind; inhis mind; in my mind; in this respect in response to; in a row; in thesame manner; in this situation; in that situation; in its subjectmatter; in such a proceeding; in such a way; in terms of; in theirminds; in turn; in your mind; in the way of; in which.

XII. Or Rule

In some embodiments, a system can search for the word “or” as a signalto trigger this rule. If any of the following word groups are found, thesystem indicates the word “or” and the following words that are part ofthe indicated word group and prompts the user: “Do you need thesewords?”: “whether or not”; “may or may not”. As with all word lists andpools in this specification, all lists in Section XII are for exampleonly; they are not meant to be exhaustive.

XIII. As Rule

In some embodiments, a system can search for the word “as” as a signalto trigger this rule. If any of the following idiomatic phrases arefound, the system ignores that occurrence of the term “as” as a falsepositive: “as” followed by a noun or pronoun; “as ______ as”; “as if”,preceded by a “to be” verb or appearing at the beginning of a sentenceor clause; “known as”; “may as well have been”; and “such as”. As withall word lists and pools in this specification, all lists in SectionXIII are for example only; they are not meant to be exhaustive.

If any of the following phrases are found, the system replaces them (orsuggests that the user replace them) as indicated:

True Positive Replacement as concerns about as a general mattergenerally as long as if as a result so as a result of because of as wellas and

If any of the following phrases are found, the system deletes them (orsuggests that the user delete them): defined as; as it happens; as ithappened; as is; as a matter of course; regarded as; as set forth; assuch; as it was; as well; as a whole; as written.

If any of the following phrases are found, the system indicates thephrase to the user and prompts the user: “Can you delete these words?”:as appropriate; as ______ as possible; as far as possible; asif-preceded by any word not a “to be” verb; as much as possible; asnecessary; as needed; as I said; as possible; as to; as-verb [highlightboth]; as with; as it would be.

XIV. Cliché Rule

In some embodiments, a system can search a pool or database of clichés,any of which can trigger this rule. If any of the following word groupsare found, the system can prompt the user: “This is a cliché. Can youdelete it or write it in a more original way?” As with all word listsand pools in this specification, all lists in Section XIV are forexample only; they are not meant to be exhaustive.

the bottom line avoid like the plague walk a mile in his shoes openPandora's box few and far between barking up the wrong tree catch-22situation shoot from the hip water under the bridge the best of allworlds fly by the seat of the pants below the belt out of the blue letthe chips fall where they may pick your brain state of the art beatingmy head against the wall beating a dead horse high and dry the wholenine yards a no-win situation get off his back between a rock and a hardplace a big deal tip of the iceberg grab the bull by the horns put thecart before the horse the whole ball of wax back to the drawing boardlet the cat out of the bag a disaster area cut off     nose to spite    face slice and dice hit the nail on the head the forest for the trees onthe nose

XV. Redundancy Rule

In some embodiments, a system can identify redundant words byrecognizing word groupings from a pool of redundant constructions. Forexample, when the system recognizes the constructions in the followingpool, the system can automatically delete, or suggest that the userauthorize deletion of, the first word in the set of two words. As withall word lists and pools in this specification, all lists in Section XVare for example only; they are not meant to be exhaustive.

brief overview mandatory requirement patently obvious sworn testimonyshort synopsis true facts excess verbiage several different bindingcontract actively engaged basic principles many diverse

XVI. Junk Words and Phrases

When the system recognizes the words in this pool, the system preferablyreplaces the recognized word (on the left) with the word (on the right):

firstly first secondly second thirdly third fourthly fourth fifthlyfifth

When the system recognizes the words in the following pool, the systempreferably prompts the user: “You could probably delete this word.”

actually aforementioned aforesaid and further therein herewith anyapparently applicable basic clearly expressly basically currentlydirectly effective totally quite effectively essentially evidently givenduly particular herein at all hereinafter heretofore really thereofherewith incurred individual just upcoming express merely outrightpersonally primarily necessary yet purposes consequently respective setforth respective squarely simple simply sometime specific very elsespecifically no doubt thereby seeming

In some embodiments, the system identifies words from a pool thatcommonly play no useful role in a sentence and can be generally removedas “junk” words. In some embodiments, the system highlights or otherwiseindicates the junk word and prompts the user: “You could probably deletethis word.”

A system can also identify junk phrases from a pool of junk phrases. Aswith all word lists and pools in this specification, all lists inSection XVI are for example only; they are not meant to be exhaustive.The system preferably replaces the following junk phrases automaticallywith the corresponding replacement words on the right:

Junk Phrase Replacement am indebted to owe are indebted to owe isindebted to owes were indebted to owed was indebted to owed will beindebted to will owe have been indebted to have owed has been indebtedto has owed desires to obtain desires purports to rely relies at thetime when incur the cost pay with certain knowledge knowing question atissue question with respect to about appears to have no relevancedecline to accept decline reason why reason reasons why reasons whybriefly stated briefly generally speaking generally

XVII. Word Pairings Rule

As with the “Redundancy Rule” above, when the system recognizes theconstructions in the following pool, the system can automaticallydelete, or suggest that the user authorize deletion of, the first wordin the set of two words. As with all word lists and pools in thisspecification, all lists in Section XVII are for example only; they arenot meant to be exhaustive.

found in provided in provided under provided below authored by locatedat displayed on found within imposed under contained in listed belowincluded in sent to taken from appearing in appearing within located bylocated in contained within brought by located next to located behindlocated near located far away

XVIII. Other Word Pools

Rules can also draw on other word pools not already set forth above.Those additional word pools can include those set forth in the followingtables. Except for Table 9, all lists in Section XVIII are for exampleonly and are not intended to be exhaustive:

TABLE 7 Relative Pronouns who whom where which whose that why when what

TABLE 8 Articles the this that these those a an one

TABLE 9 forms of “to be” am are is be being was were been

TABLE 10 Prepositions IN IN BEFORE SAVING ALONG OUT DESPITE BESIDEINCLUDING BEHIND SINCE ALONGSIDE OUTSIDE DOWN ABOARD INSIDE BELOW THANAMID OVER DURING ABOUT INTO BENEATH THROUGH AMIDST PAST EXCEPT ABOVELESS BESIDE THROUGHOUT AMONG PENDING EXCEPTING ABSENT LIKE BESIDES THRUAMONGST PER EXCLUDING ACROSS MINUS BETWEEN TILL ANTI PLUS FAILING AFTERNEAR BEYOND TO AROUND REGARDING FOLLOWING AGAINST NOTWITHSTANDING BUTTOWARD AS RESPECTING FOR AHEAD OF BY TOWARDS ASIDE ROUND FROM UNTO OFFCIRCA UNDER ASTRADDLE SAVE GIVEN BARRING ON CONCERNING UNDERNEATHASTRIDE UP WANTING VIA ONTO CONSIDERING UNLIKE AT UPON WITH WITHOUTOPPOSITE UNTIL BAR VERSUS WITHIN

TABLE 11 Personal Pronouns I those you him he her she them it their wehis you our they

TABLE 12 Conjunctions but if whether and or because while during

Another aspect of the invention involves incorporating some or all ofthe rules disclosed herein into a document scoring algorithm thatassigns quality scores to documents or texts. These quality scores canbe used in various ways to assist users in locating well-writtendocuments. For example, an internet search engine could consider thequality scores of documents returned by a search query in ranking thesedocuments for display to a user.

The inventive features described above can also be used in environmentsand scenarios in which no specific editing suggestion is made to theuser. While the systems and methods described herein can, in someembodiments, provide a general editing suggestion or problemdescription, such as “rewrite sentence to eliminate passive voice,”preferred embodiments go further to either make the sentence active, orpresent the writer with the possibilities for making it active. Forexample, some rules perform a certain amount of work, then highlightadditional parts of a sentence, and prompt the user in a general manner,such as: “Consider rewording the highlighted phrase.” A user may beprompted to provide explicit feedback on whether the general suggestionis helpful, such as by selecting either a “yes” or “no” button.Alternatively, the system may assume that the user followed the generalsuggestion if the user edits the sentence immediately after viewing thegeneral suggestion. The user feedback (whether explicit or implicit) mayin turn be used, as described above, to assess whether the rule'sgeneral suggestion should be made in particular contexts.

CONCLUSION

All of the methods and processes described above may be embodied in, andfully automated via, software code modules executed by one or moregeneral purpose computers. The code modules may be stored in any type ofcomputer-readable medium or other computer storage device. Some or allof the methods may alternatively be embodied in specialized computerhardware. The collected user feedback data (e.g., accept/rejectionactions and associated metadata) can be stored in any type of computerdata repository, such as relational databases and/or flat files systems.

Any wordy, dull, or otherwise non-vigorous sentences contained in thisspecification are attributable not to the inventor(s), but to the patentdrafter(s).

Although the above-described embodiments have been described in terms ofcertain preferred embodiments and applications, other embodiments andapplications that are apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art,including embodiments which do not provide all of the features andadvantages set forth herein, are also within the scope of thisinvention. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is definedonly by reference to claims, which are intended to be interpretedwithout reference to any explicit or implicit definitions that may beset forth in any incorporated-by-reference materials.

What is claimed is:
 1. Non-transitory computer storage having storedthereon executable code that directs a computer system to perform amethod of automatic text evaluation, the method comprising:automatically detecting whether a particular writing problem exists intext on a computer that is technically grammatically correct;automatically scanning for at least one sign that indicates the possibleoccurrence or absence of the writing problem, the at least one signcomprising the term “that”; and implementing proposed correction logicfor correcting the problem, the correction logic specifying a proposededit to a user of the computer system, the edit comprising one or somecombination of the following: deleting text; adding text; and/orreordering text, wherein automatically scanning for at least one signfurther comprises scanning for “that” as a primary sign and scanning foradditional signs; and wherein scanning for additional signs comprisesscanning for one or some combination of the following: “what,” “who,”and/or a “to be” verb.
 2. The non-transitory computer storage of claim1, wherein specifying a proposed edit comprises displaying to a userwhat the text would look like with text portions proposed for deletionvisually de-emphasized on a graphic user interface.
 3. Thenon-transitory computer storage of claim 1, wherein displaying to a userwhat the text would look like with text portions proposed for deletionvisually de-emphasized on a display comprises showing text portionsproposed for deletion in a different color, intensity, or font fromother portions of the text not proposed for deletion.
 4. Thenon-transitory computer storage of claim 1, wherein specifying aproposed edit comprises displaying to a user what the text would looklike with text portions proposed for deletion not shown, and textproposed for addition emphasized.
 5. The non-transitory computer storageof claim 1, wherein the method of automatic text evaluation is performedas a component of a word processing application and a proposed edit isdisplayed through that word processing application.
 6. Thenon-transitory computer storage of claim 1, wherein specifying aproposed edit further comprises using a graphic user interface to prompta user to accept or reject the proposed edit through a specified action.7. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 6, wherein the specifiedaction comprises allowing a user to select “accept” or “reject” buttonsdisplayed on a graphic user interface.
 8. Non-transitory computerstorage having stored thereon executable code that directs a computersystem to perform a method of automatic text evaluation, the methodcomprising: detecting whether a particular readability issue exists intext, notwithstanding that the text may be otherwise grammaticallycorrect; scanning for at least one sign that indicates the possibleoccurrence or absence of the readability issue, the at least one signcomprising the term “that”; and implementing correction logic forcorrecting the issue, the correction logic specifying a proposed edit,the edit comprising one or some combination of the following: deletingtext; adding text; and/or reordering text, wherein scanning for at leastone sign further comprises scanning for “that” as a primary sign andscanning for additional signs; and wherein scanning for additional signscomprises scanning for one or some combination of the following: “what,”“who,” “it,” and/or a “to be” verb; the method further comprising:determining if the word immediately preceding “that” is a “to be” verband if so, determining if the term “it” immediately precedes the “to be”verb and if so, determining if the term “what” or the term “who”immediately precedes “it.”
 9. The non-transitory computer storage ofclaim 8, wherein, if all the conditions are met, the correction logiccomprises specifying the following proposed edit: deleting the term“it”; deleting the “to be” verb; and deleting the term “that.”
 10. Thenon-transitory computer storage of claim 8, wherein specifying aproposed edit comprises displaying to a user what the text would looklike with text portions proposed for deletion visually de-emphasized ona display.
 11. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 10, whereinspecifying a proposed edit further comprises displaying to a user whatthe text would look like with text portions proposed for deletion shownin a different color, intensity, or font.
 12. The non-transitorycomputer storage of claim 8, wherein specifying a proposed editcomprises displaying to a user what the text would look like with textportions proposed for deletion de-emphasized, and text proposed foraddition emphasized.
 13. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 8,wherein the method of automatic text evaluation is performed as acomponent of a word processing application and a proposed edit isdisplayed through that word processing application.
 14. Thenon-transitory computer storage of claim 8, wherein specifying aproposed edit further comprises using a graphic user interface to prompta user to accept or reject the proposed edit through a specified action.15. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 14, wherein thespecified action comprises allowing a user to select “accept” or“reject” buttons displayed on a graphic user interface. 16.Non-transitory computer storage having stored thereon executable codethat directs a computer system to perform a method of automatic textevaluation, the method comprising: detecting whether a particularwriting problem exists in text that is technically grammaticallycorrect; automatically scanning for at least one sign that indicates thepossible occurrence or absence of the writing problem, the at least onesign comprising the term “that”; and implementing correction logic foraddressing the problem, the correction logic specifying a proposed edit,the edit comprising one or some combination of the following: deletingtext; adding text; and/or reordering text, wherein scanning for at leastone sign further comprises scanning for “that” as a primary sign andscanning for additional signs; and wherein scanning for additional signscomprises searching for one or more of the following sets of signs: “thereason,” and a “to be” verb; “this,” “these,” a “to be” verb, and “that”or “who”; a “to be” verb, “one,” “that” or “who,” and a verb; a noununit, “that” or “who,” a “to have” verb, a word followed by “to be,” anda past participle; a noun unit, “that” or “who,” a “to be” verb, and aninfinitive; “that” or “who,” and a verb unit (but not including a “tobe” verb); “because,” “for,” “since,” “as,” and “inasmuch”; “that” “who”or “whom,” and a pronoun; or “that” “who” or “whom,” and a noun.
 17. Thenon-transitory computer storage of claim 16, wherein specifying aproposed edit comprises displaying to a user what the text would looklike with text portions proposed for deletion visually de-emphasized ona display.
 18. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 17, whereinspecifying a proposed edit further comprises displaying to a user whatthe text would look like with text portions proposed for deletion shownin a different color, intensity, or font.
 19. The non-transitorycomputer storage of claim 16, wherein specifying a proposed editcomprises displaying to a user what the text would look like with textportions proposed for deletion not shown, de-emphasized, or shown asstrike-through text, and text proposed for addition emphasized.
 20. Thenon-transitory computer storage of claim 16, wherein the method ofautomatic text evaluation is performed as a component of a wordprocessing application and a proposed edit is displayed through thatword processing application.
 21. The non-transitory computer storage ofclaim 20, wherein specifying a proposed edit further comprises using agraphic user interface to prompt a user to accept or reject the proposededit through a specified action.
 22. The non-transitory computer storageof claim 21, wherein the specified action comprises allowing a user toselect “accept” or “reject” buttons displayed on a graphic userinterface.
 23. Non-transitory computer storage having stored thereonexecutable code that directs a computer system to perform a method ofautomatic text evaluation, the method comprising: automaticallyassessing text to evaluate issues of writing style; detecting whether aparticular style problem exists in text that is technicallygrammatically correct; scanning for at least one sign that indicates thepossible occurrence or absence of the writing problem, the at least onesign comprising the term “that”; and implementing correction logic forcorrecting the problem, the correction logic specifying a proposed edit,the edit comprising one or some combination of the following: deletingtext; adding text; and/or reordering text, wherein scanning for at leastone sign further comprises scanning for “that” as a primary sign andscanning for additional signs; and wherein scanning for additional signscomprises searching for a preposition.
 24. The non-transitory computerstorage of claim 23, wherein specifying a proposed edit comprisesdisplaying to a user what the text would look like with text portionsproposed for deletion visually de-emphasized on a display, therebyallowing a user to assess whether the proposed edit improves documentreadability while preserving intended meaning.
 25. The non-transitorycomputer storage of claim 24, wherein specifying a proposed edit furthercomprises displaying to a user what the text would look like with textportions proposed for deletion shown in a different color, intensity, orfont.
 26. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 23, whereinspecifying a proposed edit comprises displaying to a user what the textwould look like with text portions proposed for deletion not shown,shown as strike-through text, or de-emphasized, and text proposed foraddition emphasized.
 27. The non-transitory computer storage of claim23, wherein the method of automatic text evaluation is performed as acomponent of a word processing application and a proposed edit isdisplayed through that word processing application.
 28. Thenon-transitory computer storage of claim 23, wherein specifying aproposed edit further comprises using a graphic user interface to prompta user to accept or reject the proposed edit through a specified action.29. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 26, wherein thespecified action comprises allowing a user to select “accept” or“reject” buttons displayed on a graphic user interface.